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Baby names

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I love thinking of names I like. For some reason I can usually only find the inspiration to think of girls' names, but they other day I gave the boys a chance.

Austin
Sterling
Lee
Maurice (pronounced Morris, not Maureece)
Thurston
Michael
Tyler
Louis

Did I do good? Bear in mind this is on the assumption that he will have my surname, so names ending in d or t sound awkward.

― N., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I like color names: boy - blue or silver; girl - ruby, lavender.

I also love the name Bliss for a girl. My brother and his wife are about to have their third child and are going to call her Sabrina. I'm liking that a lot as well.

― S., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Louis Dastoor sounds a bit like Louis Pasteur and thus = most classic of the lot.

If any kids I have with The Bloke get his surname (Holland) it will rule out some of my favourite names, eg. Molly, Lauren.

― Archel, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey! Lauren is mine. Along with Lara, Lana, Scarlett (exception made on the t/d rule), Roberta and Eleanor.

Don't call him Michael Holland, Archel. I already know three.

― N., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

if i had a girl baby i would call her Iris, probably. dunno about boys though! wyatt is a good one but Kristin Hersh has already done that, chiz...

― katie, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There's a lot of brrm brrm related names N.

― Jonnie, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the fiance and I have been discussing this a lot lately. Etienne i like for a boy and she likes traditional norwegian names such as Anna-Karine, Erlend....

― Chris, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I know, I noticed that too Jonnie. Odd, since I've never been into cars really. Maybe I want to live my motoring dreams out vicariously.

― N., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You did poorly (sez the man with the daft interweb moniker). Sterling and Thurston would get the kid beaten up and Tyler is just vile. The other's aren't too bad given that Austin and Morris have lost the car association.

― RickyT, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I guess we could call it Mul.

― Archel, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Maybe Tyler is vile. I think it was inspired by watching Fight Club for the first time the other day. But God knows why I wanted my child to be associated with a violent madman.

― N., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm "In Love" with a girl who works here who's name is Aiyana. So i like that name.

― Chris, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

But God knows why I wanted my child to be associated with a violent madman.

Associated? He'd already be related.

And 'Thurston'? Yuk. I like 'Glass'.

― Michael Jones, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I like Sterling, it's definitely OTM.Hahahahahahahahahaha.

― Jonnie, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Glass is class but would get broken at school.

Or is all this 'kids with stupid names get bullied' thing a myth?

Thurston is the one I was least sure about after Tyler.

― N., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I also like a lot of Irish names but if I wasn't marrying an Irish woman I might feel odd about it.

― N., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm going to call my baby Quinn, like the Eskimo. I said so on ILM.

― Ally, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Thurston Dastoor - don't do it to the poor child.

Austin is a good name.

Ethan, Laurence, Stella, Lily.

― Anna, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

OK, strike Thurston from the record. Anna was on my list of girls' names - you've just reminded me.

― N., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Also Ellie.

― N., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually I've just gone off Ellie. Ella instead, maybe. I'm into these easy to say names.

― N., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

goth baby names are best. i want a goth baby.

Abaddon/Abaddona, Abdia, Abriel, Acheliah, Adirael, Adirah, Adonael, Adriel, Aladiah, Alaliyah, Alphariza, Anael, Atatiyah, Azaziel, Azrael, Baruch, Bathor, Beatiel, Beleth, Cael, Caila, Charciel, Chasmodai, Daeva, Dagon, Dai, Darquiel, Dredekea, Donquel, Exousia, Geviriyah, Gurson, Haim, Haziel, Jetrel, Kalmiya, Kasdaya, Levanah, Mara, Mikail, Mithra, Nehinah, Purusha Rathanael, Rochel, Samhiel, Sar, Shekinah, Sisera, Sorath, Theodonias, Tychagara, Urzla, Varuna, Venibbeth, Xaphon, Zephon, Wynter Grace, Wisteria, Lycia Moon Severina, Shattenjagar, Wennesdae Krisstanamus Zoey Arianna, Winter Agony, Ashe, Izabella, Meesha, Damieon, Ezabel Eyre, Talon Malachai Trueblood, Morrissey Willow, Stormy Dawn, Shannara Rain, Akaysha Sisera, Katarynah Starr, Twilight Epiphany Moonshadow, Layla Rhiannon, Bliss, Darcia, Cleopatra Napeta Gaea Blackthorn, Chloé Miréille, Isabella Winter Grae, Twilight, Chaos, Dawn, Damien, Mercy, Angel, Ophelia, Carmilla, Lillith, Winter, Whisper, Morticia, Akasha, Enil, Magenta, Lucifer, Gabrielle, Ash, Calamity, Chalice, Cinder, Diamanda, Dementia, Eleanore, Elegia, Entropy, Eternity, Hiver, January, Lorelei, Lycia, Lucretia, Malificent, Misericordia, Moon, Moonlight, Mystery, Porcelain, Rain, Rasputina, Raven, Rubella, Sangria, Severina, Siouxsie, Suspiria, Theda, Twilight, Vervain, Willow, Bela, Cloven, Dante, Demian, Draven, Eldritch, Forrest, Gnash, Grendel, Hades, Hamlet, Ragnor, Satan, Valhalla, Victor, Wolf, Broken, Chapel, Charnel, Cloud, Coal, December, Drear, Ember, Envy, Fade, Fallen, Gethsemene, Ghost, Grey, Hallow, Hindley, Hostile, Jinx, Lament, London, Lost, Kindred, Malaise, Malice, Midnight, Mourn, Night, Nightshade, Nothing, October, Pagan, Pallor, Phoenix, Prayer, Salem, Shadow, Sigh, Silence, Solemn, Solitaire, Somber, Sorrow, Storm, Sullen, Velvet, Morgoth, Elvira, Angelique, Bathory, Erzsabet, Valan, Dakhanavar, Lecroix, Zachary Lucius Sexton, Vlad, Cohen, Dario, Lucio, Byron, Antonin, Nivek, Voltaire, Poe, Aleister, Lovecraft, Wednesday, Poppy, Anais, Xena, Fairuza, Winona, Exene, Pola, Acacia, Aconite, Calla, Calyx, Cassandra, Clove, Fleur, Foxglove, Jacaranda, Wolfbane, Zinnia, Absinthe, Alabaster, Amethyst, Autumn, Chartreuse, Chrysalis, Cyan, Jade, Kestral, Kohl, Obsidian, Ocean, Onyx, Sapphire, Silver, Star, Venom, Abilard, Beowulf, Blade, Estragon, Fortinbras, Lestat, Luthien, Zilah, Vittorio, Yseult, Misery, Balthazar, Nefertiti, Anastasia, Deoria, Ryazan, Elyria, Vervain, Jardeau Blue, Zarah, Krysania, Azra Medea, Blixa, Vega, Shiloh, Nova, Mourn, Mime, Xerxes, Ziven.

and Wyndham.

― Wyndham Earl, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Monster.

― did, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Eleanor is a nice name - BUT

1) A hippy like you should spell it Elanor & ,p>ii) Are you really sure about EleanOR DastoOR?

Most of your boys names have ROCK connotations as well as car ones. And TV ones.

except for Maurice, which is a poof's name.

― David, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ella is good for it's jazz diva correlations. A friend of mine named her son Coltrane. I also like Cash for boys.

― S., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sophia. Because I love it and because it translates the same in about a dozen languages. Uh loosely speaking, of course.

― Pyth, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Girls: Lavatory, Skelmersdale, Fraggle, Twee

Boys: Bolton, Tarleton, Galahad, Ethelred

― Lynskey & Celeste, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Aw, goth babies. Although: 'Kestral' - not even spelt right is one was going for the 'toddler = bird of prey' angle. Why not just call the kid Diamond White? Saves a lot of bother, I reckon. My sister is called Eleanor, but the hippiness of it obviously didn't filter through her titanium skull. She's named after Eleanor of Aquitaine, anyhoo - strong Mediaeval women - raah! Whoops, back to gothiness.

― that girl Liz, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hiver and Vervain are FANTASTIC names!

― Dan Perry, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Eleanor is nice but so is Elinor, which looks prettier but always makes me think "You're spelling it wrong!" And Lydia is a lovely lovely name. For boys, Thor, Sebastian, Anders (and other such wonderful viking-type names), Andrew, Adam.

― Maria, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I used to have a thing with a guy nicknamed Diamond White, what the hell?

― Ally, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If I had my way, Honey for girl and Angel for boy. But of course they'd get killed.

But I am keen to get in family names, as there are some good ones in my family. I like Langley, and Forrest, and Dario, but they'll just be middle names, I guess.

― Mark C, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I know a boy named Angel. He is the only goth in my school.

― Maria, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

How about, if you're planning to have several kids, naming them after elements in a particular column of the periodic table? I like the group II alkaline earth metals: Beryllium (Beryl), Magnesium (Maggie), Calcium (Calumn), Strontium (er, Ron?), Barium (Barry), Radium (Ray). It would be a bit like Donald Duck's nephews.

― Michael Jones, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Nicky Dubbs, do not use Austin......it is excessively old-money whitey sounding thanks to US soaps......Maurice sounds too oldskool tertiary/manual labor.......Maurice and Doug, we do drywall.......Lou is pretty styling, it sounds rugged.

This sounds stupid but "Meg" is good for a guy........if the kid has the right face, it sounds tough when people use it.....when vocalized instead of read it sounds like a small weapon, trust me.

― Ramosi, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Maria, what is it with you and your hyper-anglo ass.......I bet you think you pregnant from flipping through a Source you herb.......and when you twee-chirp back at me asking what herb means I'll tell you.....white people are over, everyone knows that shit.

Nick, try Hector, Bally, Duc, Tran, Truong, Inderpaul, Jamal.

― Ramosi, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Excerpt from something I didn't write but wish I did:

ASIATIC Asians are pretty cool. Only half of them can handle booze but they all have perfect toes. Some of the older Chinese people can be really mean when you’re just asking a simple question but that’s just because they are a more confrontational culture. Like the Jews or the French they are just arguing and you shouldn’t take it personal. The Chinese refer to white people (Americans mostly) as “fat and sentimental,” which is basically true. Japanese people are basically the best race. The women are babes and the men are incredibly smart. Want a computer invented? Ask a Japanese guy. Want to see a babe? Ask a Japanese lady.

Koreans are pretty bad, especially the communists. Lots of war has made them ruthless, and it’s perfectly normal to have your ass whipped right off your body for talking in class. Note that the worst Asians are still better than the best Micronesians. One of the few bad things with Asians, especially Chinese, is that they think sleeping is an indulgence and drink tea 24 hours a day to stay awake and that leads to general craziness.

INDIAN These guys are pretty smart and resilient (see Gandhi starring Ben Kingsley). The women are also babes (except for the occasional fuzzy one) and the guys make good doctors. Unlike black people they CAN sunburn, which is a problem because a lot of Canadian ones will go down to Mexico and act all tough and then get fried (they go kind of purple). They used to stink but they don’t anymore.

AFRICAN Blacks tend to have sickle-shaped blood cells, which is fine in hot temperatures where your blood is thin but can lead to trouble in colder places where the thicker blood cells will stick to each other and cause sickle-cell anemia. Another thing about them is that their heels tend to be right angles instead of bulging out at the back like normal.

In 1974 John R. Baker broke down the Africans into two categories: Sanids (Bushmen) and Negrids. This is too complicated. There are way too many different kinds to understand. In America, for example, there are the hard-working, educated ones that are even better than white people. They do all the good things that good white people do but they are less hokey and can party. The bad American ones are fucking scary and are rarely discussed. Abroad the same pattern follows but more exaggerated. In Africa the nice ones are so educated they invent entire cultures. The bad ones, however, would eat the bad American ones alive. If you’ve ever seen how fearless a Zimbabwean gas attendant is during the night shift in the heart of Queens you know what we’re getting at. They are used to watching lions eat their friends so it’s like “bring it on.”

The rest of the places—West Indies, Barbados, Jamaica—are just fun- loving jolly people with rich and interesting accents.

Incidentally, mulattos have an incredible metabolism. The same way a purebred dog is a weak one, mulattos take the best of being white and the best of being black and make a person that is smarter and fitter. The only drawback is the increased metabolism means more B.O. (see any Lenny Kravitz party).

Here’s another weird thing. They have this rule where if you have a drop of black blood you’re black. That means Arabs are black. However, Arabs are Semites like Jews, so Jews are black? They became white after moving to Europe so I guess they’re mulatto.

Mediterranean people like Italians are kind of mulatto too. There should be a new category here called HYBRIDS but fuck it.

AMERICAN INDIAN These people used to be really cool but are basically fucked now. They used to only have to work 15 hours a week for food and shelter and therefore still love sleeping. Another interesting thing about them is that they have weird earwax. It is powdery and not waxy at all. Soon there will be no American Indians because they will have been killed via disease and “culture smushing” by the white man (see bottom of chart). Eskimos also fit into this category. They are capable of much lower temperatures than other races (duh).

POLYNESIAN, MICRONESIAN, MELANESIAN These are basically Spanish Asians. That’s why they’re brown. Polynesians are the lightest of these tropical island people and Melanesians are almost black. So black, in fact, that they used to be considered abbos. These three races include all those island people like Hawaiian and Seychelles people—the ones who wear hula skirts and can kill you with a blow dart. They are incredibly agile (note how all DMC champions are Philippino).

EUROPEAN White people are a funny bunch. Many Asians will note, upon their arrival to America, that “white people smell like hamburger.” They did very well a few hundred years ago but are kind of over now. At best the good ones will own a lawn care company (or something) and like the Who, but they are drastically outnumbered by the bad ones. Unlike other races the bad ones fall into two groups. There are the rich ones: Jack Welch, Dick Cheney, and the like. These men would let the whole world sink into the sea if it meant another SUV for their daughter. The other kind is called white trash. They would sell their baby for crack no problem. Many use the phrase “good while it lasted” when discussing this group.

AUSTRALIAN (ABBO) Not exactly killing shit as far as the babe population goes. Almost extinct thanks to white people, the abbos haven’t been doing well for about 500 years now. One weird characteristic about abbos is that they have this point in their life called a “walkabout” where, sometime around 18 years of age, they will just start walking and walking and walking. They leave all their stuff and start a new life when they get to wherever it is they end up walking to but they all do it and nobody knows why.

CHRISTOPHER PRINCE

― Ramosi, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

How about Bingo?

― Sister Disco, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hercules!

― nickie, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I have long felt that the different naming of boys and girls is the start of bringing them up differently = perpetuating evil sexist society = one should decide on babies' names before you know their sex, and stick with them. My first two (if something terrible happens and my vasectomy proves to have been worthless) will be Jo and Sam. These are my favourite names anyway, which is a fortunate coincidence.

― Martin Skidmore, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Stanstead

― Graham, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Angel for a boy would be nice in an ideal world... also the Thomas Hardy connection (is there ANY more wussy name for a bloke than 'Angel Clare'?) reminded me of the bestest girl's name ever: Bathsheba! But Bathsheba Playforth would just be insane, unfortunately.

Incidentally, what do you think of giving boys the father's surname and girls the mother's?

― Archel, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Angel is a rubbidge name, Angelus is a lot bettah and more EVIL hooray. Angel = bloated tormented saviour of the world yawn yawn. Angelus = EVIL WORLD DESTROYING FUN! Best name for boychild = SPIKE. Okay then, boyVAMP. I have a step-nephew called Tyler. I'm not sure if I like the name.

― Sarah, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I have a sort of-nephew called Tyler too -- I think it is a pretty common name. So is Austin.

I don't really like most names, unless they are very old or very silly.

― Nicole, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The only Blue I have ever met was a girl. It sounds too melancholy to be a boys name - they'd probably get beaten up at school for it or something.

― toraneko, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i believe that both Angel and Jesus are pretty common boys' names in Spain (but obv pronounced quite differently than they are in english eh what?)

― katie, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I am too young for this madness.

My child will be called Jon Carter Fitzgerald. I've no idea.

― Ronan, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Either Gretta or Peter. Depending, obviously, on their sex. Always quite liked the idea of giving place names to children. It amuses me. Leighton Buzzard.

― alix, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Have just been inspired by some overseas students to mention ADALGISA and MAURO. Oh and KLEMENTIN.

― Archel, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I wish people would stop mocking Leighton Buzzard. My cousin toyed with calling her little girl Wynter. Ick.

― Emma, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I am not mocking Leighton B, simply using the fact that a)Leighton is bit like a name and b)a buzzard is a funny bird, and there is novelty in the word due it's it's relatively low frequency in everyday conversation, to limited comic effect. Nether Wallop, now there's a name I can mock.

― Alix, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Leighton is not a bit like a name, it IS a name, I have a mate called Leighton who lives in Leytonstone which we found hilarious when he first moved there (though obv. living in Leyton would have been better).

― Emma, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I stand corrected, Sir!

― Alix, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If we're naming after towns, I should mention that my mum recently moved from Acton Turville to Coalpit Heath. Nearest town is Chipping Sodbury. If I ever write a Wodehouse/Waugh/Green style novel I will call a character Turville Sodbury, I think.

― Martin Skidmore, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Is Annabel as fabulous as I just decided it is?

― Graham, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Did I hallucinate Ramosi's bizarre post or are you all just ignoring it? That was the greatest thing I've ever read.

― Ally, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No, it was good, esp. the African section.

Nicky Dubbs, do not use Austin......it is excessively old-money whitey sounding thanks to US soaps......Maurice sounds too oldskool tertiary/manual labor.

These names have v.diff connotations in the UK so I think I'll be OK.

The preponderance of motoring/US rock names in my male list. Hmm.. I think it's cause I'm struggling to find a not overly common name that isn't hopelessly prissy. Wow - I've just seen that Tyler was the highest new entry in the this year's top 100 UK names, at No. 41. Obviously people do dig the dangerous psychopath thing.

― N., Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No Graham, Annabel is bad. I've never met a nice Annabel and get very offended if people think it's my full name. If I want to lie and extend my name I use Anastasia. Well I used to when it was more Russian princess than fog horn voiced singer who looks like a man.

― Anna, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think Jerry Dastoor would be the sort of bloke who would buy you a pint of beer in the pub

― chris, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'd just been reminded Annabel was the name of a girl I fancied in the first year at school. However, she was expelled within the first term for theft and being horrid, so point taken. But she did like pigs a lot.

― Graham, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

you can get a chance to name a real life baby here

― michael, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

When I was at the doctor the baby in the waiting room was named Drystan. Wasn't that a cold medication?

― Nicole, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

...unless my hearing is all wrong and the nurse said Dustin or Tristan. But it sure sounded like Drystan.

― Nicole, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Maybe they decided to name the kid after the first thing they saw in their medicine cabinet. Could have been worse, could have been Tylenol.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Calpol Dastoor!

― Graham, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Anusol P Dastoor

― nickie, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Porky, Gyp, Westy, Gorge, Hambone, Sniffles, Knocker Dee, Pearls, Hux, Roxie, Dix, X, Pharoah Fortune, Scissors, Modesty, Bluey, Stepper, Upkeep, Bird-dog, Weiss.

― Yves, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

boy: Applejack, Snowden. girl: Dinah, Swan Lee. I just got a kitten on saturday and named him Pan. Short for Panda or Pants due to the fact that he's black with white gloves and pants.

― gilgamesh, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Boy or girl, I prefer the name Cupcake.

― Nicole, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

cupcake is a great name for a boy! also: wasabi and x4&ndqa!

― geeta, Friday, 17 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Gloves is a *great* name.

Cookie?

― Mark C, Saturday, 18 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Spuds Dastoor?

Des Dastoor??????

― chris, Saturday, 18 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I call many of my friends cupcake anyway.

― Anna, Saturday, 18 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Good: Two, Four, Six, Seven, Nine
Not: One, Three, Five, Eight

― mark s, Saturday, 18 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

you can *not* be serious about choosing six over eight, sinkah!

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Saturday, 18 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...
Loretta

― N., Tuesday, 6 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Thighpaulsandra.

― Colin Meeder, Tuesday, 6 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

fido.

― RJG, Tuesday, 6 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Speaking of numbers, if anyone gave their baby a Star Trek name they should have their custody revoked.

― Nicole, Tuesday, 6 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

you like a get-out-of-jail-free card? 7of9 sinkah it is!!

― mark s, Tuesday, 6 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

You're excused, Mark S, you are on a higher plane.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 6 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

days of the week always struck me as good. probably from watching too much 'addams family' when i was a child.

also numbers. probably from watching too much 'blossom' as a child.

of course, our days of week are largely taken from names of norse gods. anyone else find this strange?

thor dastoor. cool.

um, charles addams never gave his characters names when he was drawing them, that came with the tv series. the name he gave the young boy was originally Pubert but this got vetoed by the tv company but was later used for the baby in the second film... which was nice. and wednesday's middle name was thursday.

andy

― koogydelbbog, Tuesday, 6 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

thor dastoor

This rhymes...kind of. You win. What, I don't know.

― Nicole, Friday, 9 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

i just watched addams family. synchronicity! Monday and Friday are bad day-of-the-week names, though, and if you want Thursday then why not just go for Thor.

― Maria, Friday, 9 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

testing

― Ron, Friday, 9 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

For Boys
Thadeus,Osbert,Stuart,Chester,Algernon,Emerson,Herman,ARchibald, Sebastion,Hart, Loomis, Ashton, Sterne,Kit,Andrew,Ballard, Aubery,Aaron,Kaleb,Absolam,Basil, Calvin, Adam, Fabian,Tab ,Yvon ,Barnarbas,Addison,CAlder,Alaric, Addison,Liam, Zebidadiah

for girls
Zara,Agnes,Clara,Fanny,Faye,Yardley,Wavela,Wilhemina,Ventia,Vilette, Violet,Irene,Ursula,Tabitha,Dalilia,Fabiola,Fala,Faith,Faustina,Mable, Mae,Magdalenia,Hannae,Heloise,Kai,Kali,Penelope.

― anthony, Wednesday, 14 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

thoor dastoor.

― RJG, Wednesday, 14 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

four months pass...
STOP CALLING YOUR SONS 'JACK' IT IS BORING AND SHIT

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes we've had this discussion quite a bit over Christmas in my family, and Jack has become a bit trendoid. I think Louis is a nice name.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:22 (twenty-two years ago)

It's been like 'trendoid' for about four years now (since sodding Titanic) though - haven't people had time to notice and think "Hang on - maybe I don't want my kid to be called the same as every other boy of his age."

It's such a transparently crap choice anyway. It's like "Oooh - unthreateningly masculine and strong. Unpretentious yet perky". It's not even a real name - choosing a nickname is slovenly informality. Stupid fuckers.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:29 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm gonna start calling myself Jim from now on. And you have to say it like Dr McCoy in Star Trek.

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Jim is much better (though on a birth certificate still poor). OK Jim! I'm not sure it suits you but I will give it a go.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Goodness N you really hate the name Jack!


I also like the name Johnny, I mean I guess John is everywhere but that doesn't mean it's impossible to like it anyway. People become their names after a while anyway so I'll let my future wife decide unless she has really mad ideas like Townley or something.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:42 (twenty-two years ago)

N. prefers the name Jude.

― Nicole (Nicole), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

It's such a transparently crap choice anyway. It's like "Oooh - unthreateningly masculine and strong. Unpretentious yet perky". It's not even a real name - choosing a nickname is slovenly informality. Stupid fuckers.

I am deeply offended by this post because I have a friend whose son's name is Jack. Whose lyrics are you quoting?

― David (David), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:45 (twenty-two years ago)

It's Chloe that gets me. So desperately bourgeois and pseudo-chic. Of course my name appears not to figure in the entire top 100. I am the Mavis of tomorrow.

― Jane, Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I am sorry. I have a friend whose niece is called Jack too. I don't care really. Call them Pigfucker if you want.

Lyrics?

I love that Jane is not in the top 100. People obviously think - 'oh no, far too boring', not realising that by the time their little Chloe grows up she will be common as muck. Jane is a lovely name.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Names are irrelevent outside of this extremely abstract discussion.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

I meant to say 'nephew' above, sadly.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

No they're not Ronan. I would hate to be in love with someone with an ugly name.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Fair enough, do you think though you'd change your opinion of the name the minute you had that cool person association going on?


I think I would.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 17:59 (twenty-two years ago)

No. I have been in love with people before whose name I did not like saying aloud over and over again every time I went to bed.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I see, to be honest I think like this about lots of stuff.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Like what? You mean like, 'who cares'?

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Well yeah, but it works out nicely here.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Did you tell the people you didn't like their name?

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:20 (twenty-two years ago)

david are you saying that your mate's son jack is none of what n. said or are you just saying you're a retard?

i met a gurl called rowan the other day and the name bugs me. i expected her to be boring and like shakespeare and plays and stuff and i was exactly right. isn't it a guy's name anyway? it must have an inclination to one or the other surely

not as bad as the guy i knew who's sister was called TERTIUS tho

obv new babies called chloe are horrid but i feel sorry for those who had it when it was rare and it had a certain elan

― bob zemko (bob), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Ronan, you mean outside of ILE you can be more relaxed and less snobby? Well yeah, that's living. There was a thread about it once, ha. No, I didn't tell the people I didn't like their name.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:22 (twenty-two years ago)

i couldn't really prove it but a name isn't just a name... i never really got on wth chris-es much and i never liked the look of it much

it's not set in stone and i don't take it seriously or anything but i'd say i was 92% right most the time

― bob zemko (bob), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry I didn't mean to be snobby, no I meant that in this situation it worked out nicely cos I don't think I'd dislike a name of a future partner, ie "who cares" also has an easy going side to it.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I think we are at cross purposes. I wasn't calling you snobby in particular. I just wanted to know if you were saying that generally outside of ILE's 'extremely abstract discussions' you are less judgemental, cutting etc. (as someone in that lost thread was musing)

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah I probably am, but I didn't realise I was here. I mean I know when I actually get irked about something I don't hold back but in a more general sense I wouldn't have thought so.

I am though yeah, but also IRL I am quite particular about who I hang around with so the occasion for being judgemental doesn't arise. Also in real life there's often the prospect of going out somewhere or doing something fun and I get very enthusiastic. This kind of makes depressing reading really for me if I was to dwell on it a bit.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Ieuan (or Ian) for a boy. Maybe Archie. Or Huw.

Rhian for a girl. Maybe Grace. Or Felicity.

― C J (C J), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh and when I called it an extremely abstract discussion I only meant that as a comparison to real life where you have faces and people and personalities to go with the names etc as per my view of this but I think you know that's what I meant by now.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 18:47 (twenty-two years ago)

david are you saying that your mate's son jack is none of what n. said or are you just saying you're a retard?

I do have a friend whose name is Jack but I don't give a toss either way about anyone's opinion on the name. I was actually trying to make a humourous reference to something that occurred on another thread but no-one noticed.

― David (David), Saturday, 28 December 2002 21:19 (twenty-two years ago)

..whose son's name is Jack I meant to say, not that it matters.

― David (David), Saturday, 28 December 2002 21:20 (twenty-two years ago)

this thread is so Eurocentric!! kidding..actually i like white people's feminine names with an archaic twist like Ursula, Irene, Veronica, Ileana, etc. Alexander is still a sexy masculine name

Older Euro names are so cool too - like Broomhilda, etc. - and its just curious how soe have been passed down and continued while others stpped. Really, think about it - if a name like "Barbara" was not passed down and still used and we just read it as some Biblical name - wouldn't it sound v funny and strange, hearing it for the first time? Actually, this is from a story, one of my cousin's was like "vaat iz a 'baaar-bur-ah? vaat kind of name??" but her own daughter was named Ratna, and would get teased as Rat-nuh, so she shouldn't talk. We had this discussion long ago, that Rakesh is the ugliest sounding name in either an indian or any other language..pronounced "raaak-A-shhh" but I dunno. Just like w/ freaky Biblical names indian mythological names are crazy and so much fun to type, forget pronunciation, like Hrianyakashyapu or Dhritarashtra or Vichitraveerya or Shuparnakha - why didn't Uma Thurman's dad name her that?? Uma is pretty though, just like Ushas or Lalita, I always liked Meenaxi, ok i could go on haha...

― Vic (Vic), Saturday, 28 December 2002 22:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Uma Thurman's family are dirty Amherst hippies.

― Ally (mlescaut), Saturday, 28 December 2002 22:30 (twenty-two years ago)

ooh we should start an Uma S&D thread. Tape - dud, dud, dud.

getting back to topic, I miss your days as Lulu, when even random spammers and troller-tolls in usenet knew yer name haha

― Vic (Vic), Saturday, 28 December 2002 22:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I like the name Aaron because it is not too boring, not too common, and sounds good when mispronounced by people who speak with accents. One of my Spanish teachers in high school, who was from Spain, would always say "Hhhaaron, what the hhhhhhell are you doing?" With the "Hhhhh" equal to the sound of one who is preparing to spit. Before you accuse me of mocking people from Spain, I should say that you had to know Mr. Ibanez to understand...

Looking over the list of girls who have broken my heart, Liz comes up more often than antyhing else, so I couldn't consider that as a name. I would fear that I was, by naming my daughter Liz, preparing her for a life of being mean to nerdy boys. Of course, I will be over these broken hearts by the time I have a baby, so none of this will matter then...

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Saturday, 28 December 2002 22:49 (twenty-two years ago)

sterling is a fine name and still my favourite. also very much like jason, damien, adrian and julian. funny how i've got a thing for names ending in -ian, but i could never name a son that coz hat's what my brother calls himself now.

names i formerly didn't like can be turned around by cute boys - daniel was such a name.

jack is a name with unpleasant middle america associations, but it doesn't fill me w/homicidal rage like some.

― masonicboom, Saturday, 28 December 2002 23:41 (twenty-two years ago)

i actually know a lot of aarons, but i like how its unisex in he sense that there are girl erins too - but they are two wntirely different names. in general, unisex names like sam i find dud, though. sterling rox - one of TAs last semester was named sterling sheehy, and it was almost porn-star-cool, as was he i never liked daniel or jason, too common. i aso dont think jack is that bad, it reminds me of victorian murderers and cheese more than middle america though, prolly because i am younger than all these people who are unsconsciously taking out their loathing of jogn "cougar" mellencamp music on this innocent thread

anyone else like zoe or jill? if i wanted to have children, and if i happened to have a girl i would consider naming her zelda, but even i'm not that brave

xavier immediately recalls art-wank student, forsome reason

― Vic (Vic), Sunday, 29 December 2002 00:15 (twenty-two years ago)

daniel or jason remind me of dirty dronerock guitarists from the midlands hence classic.

― masonicboom, Sunday, 29 December 2002 00:21 (twenty-two years ago)

jack = steal

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Sunday, 29 December 2002 00:29 (twenty-two years ago)

names i formerly didn't like can be turned around by cute boys - daniel was such a name

Aww.... Wait, you don't mean me. Never mind.

I hated the name Daniel so much I spent a good year convincing people to call me deX! once I got to college. It infuriates my parents to no end when I introduce a college friend and they refer to me as "deX!". HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

My first son will probably be named David after my departed oldest brother.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Sunday, 29 December 2002 00:42 (twenty-two years ago)

There are too many Dans in the world already! Which is why I'm reduced to calling Dan Perry "Dang".

I once had a problem with too many Dans, but the story is too complicated to go into.

― Nicole (Nicole), Sunday, 29 December 2002 03:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I know someone with a darling girl entitled Ruby Texana. classic.

― That Girl (thatgirl), Sunday, 29 December 2002 09:12 (twenty-two years ago)

My name is ace. I love it. I've got a horrid feeling that in a few years time there will an upsurge in little Celestes running round because of all the people I've met who love my name. Thankfully it hasn't happened yet, and I've only ever met one other Celeste. I've an unusual surname too, which usually makes people think I'm foreign, or black, and always causes problems with spelling.

I fancy the name Xanthe for a girl, never thought about boys names, they are having my surname though, there are so few of us around that the boyfriend is changing his name when we get married.

Oh and I've never found that a wierd name got me picked on, some people called me Mary, and the lads at senior school went though a stage of singing "Gillete, the best a man can get", it was the nearest rhyme they could find.

― Celeste (Celeste), Sunday, 29 December 2002 14:24 (twenty-two years ago)

It makes me think of Babar.

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 29 December 2002 14:32 (twenty-two years ago)

I love black girls names like Shaniqua, Taneesha, etc. I met an Aarhonda once.

I made a film last semester in which I made the white girl have the blackest-black girl name, i think it was Rashonda - and the black girl was named Heather.

Ph I forgot, at this Indian party once we met this woman who named her kids Nature, Cash and I forget the third one I think it was just something like Ralph. But Nature man, how can u go through school with a name like that?? It's better than those Indians who give their kids funny nicknames that totally replace their orignal names though, like Pinky or Bubaloo - the Bubaloo I knew looked like one too.

― Vic (Vic), Sunday, 29 December 2002 14:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I like the name Celeste too, because Daphne & Celeste are big favourites.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 30 December 2002 00:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I could see myself naming children Pinky and Bubaloo, which is why I should never have children.

― Nicole (Nicole), Monday, 30 December 2002 00:24 (twenty-two years ago)

My brother wanted to name me Speaker Do-Nothing.

But only if I was a girl.

― Curtis Stephens, Monday, 30 December 2002 00:42 (twenty-two years ago)

i know an 'oompa loompa'

― minna (minna), Monday, 30 December 2002 01:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Nicole, I hope you're still hopped up on morphine when it comes time to fill out the birth certificate...

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 30 December 2002 19:20 (twenty-two years ago)

nine months pass...
I like these names for a girl...Amethyst, Antigone, Emily, Jade, Novalee, Luna, Bliss, Dakota, Emerald, Sapphire, or Gemma...E-mail me and tell me if you think these names are good, or that they SUCK.

― Jade, Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:15 (twenty-one years ago)

how about Slate, Granite, and Limestone.

― Dale the Titled (cprek), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:21 (twenty-one years ago)

ruby, pearl.

crosspost, what the fuck.

onyx, quartz.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Girls names are so much more fun.

I suppose I like Jacob for a boy, but it's still kind of lacking. Too many boys get named after their fathers.

― Sarah McLUsky (coco), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:29 (twenty-one years ago)

fido.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:29 (twenty-one years ago)

You're right, RJG. That one's perfect. Never mind! :)

― Sarah McLUsky (coco), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Honestly, I've always thought Roscoe would be a good name for a boy.

― Dale the Titled (cprek), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:33 (twenty-one years ago)

If I have another boychild I'm going to name him Extra Tasty Crispy.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Amethyst - possibly appalling. will end up being known as Amy
Antigone - appalling
Dakota - a terrible joke
Emily - harmless, nice
Jade - naming a daughter after you seems ok to me as long as if you have another one she is also called Jade
Luna - good
Bliss - better
Emerald - foxy
Sapphire - not unless your son is called Steel (n.b. your son should be called Steel)
Gemma - no
Novalee - so crazy it just might work

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:37 (twenty-one years ago)

fido.

Giving milkbones at the baby shower, presumedly.

Always thought of Celeste as a pretty name for a girl, while James would be cool for a lad.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:38 (twenty-one years ago)

nichole, you are what is wrong w/ this world.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I rule the world, others are just slow to catch on.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:47 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't think i could take someone called bliss or dakota seriously. i couldn't take her parents seriously, anyway.
this is what i like for girls: violet, esther, daphne, charlotte, harriet, olivia, lana... and zelda. especially zelda. i used to think it was ugly as sin, now i think it's the best ever.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:49 (twenty-one years ago)

zelda is OK.

bliss is not. what were you thinking N?

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:50 (twenty-one years ago)

My cousin is called Zelda. Unfortunately, Terrahawks started when she was at primary school.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I quite like Luna.

― luna (luna.c), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Me too.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Amethyst and Sapphire sound like stripper names.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:08 (twenty-one years ago)

So that's a vote for Amemthyst or Sapphire.

― NA (Nick A.), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

They're those self-fulfilling prophecy names... like Bertha.

― luna (luna.c), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I wonder what it's like to have an old-person name when you're a kid, like Myrtle or Abe.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:14 (twenty-one years ago)

At least one of the names wasn't Ashton. My sister-in-law wants to name her baby Ashton if it is a boy and I think she should be thrown into prison if she does name the baby that. It's just wrong!

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Novalee is the name of the girl in that movie where she lives in a Wal-Mart and has a baby, that name is for shit.

― Allyzay, Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:15 (twenty-one years ago)

"Hey there little Eugene, how are you?"

I think that almost counts as abuse. I suppose you'd have to give yourself a really cool nickname.

"My name is Elwood, but you can call me Spider."

Oh, I said coolnickname, didn't I?

― luna (luna.c), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:16 (twenty-one years ago)

"Bertha the Holy"? Doesn't inspire adoration or trust in me, somehow.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Novalee sounds like the name of a birth control pill.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

For serious, I think people named shit like Hortence or something seriously just magically manifest out of thin air at the age of 60.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I was thinking about the name Sylvester the other day, and how there's no one named Sylvester anymore, and was wondering if it's because of the cartoon cat named Sylvester, and how he was all mean and always trying to eat Tweety Bird. It's a shame, because I kind of like the name Sylvester. Do you think those people you see at like Wal Mart dressed in zoot suits or 1920's coctail dresses name their kids with purposefully anachronistic names?

― NA (Nick A.), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I like some older sounding names for girls, but I think Esther is pushing it.

Violet is a very pretty name.

I really do like the name James, but I don't like Jim and I HATE Jimmy (apologies to all Jimmys out there).

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I knew a kid in elementary school named Sylvester. Everyone (even his parents) called him "Sly". He was one of the funniest mufuckaz I've ever known in my life.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

For serious, I think people named shit like Hortence or something seriously just magically manifest out of thin air at the age of 60.

And do what, fly?

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Esther is a cool 20-something name in Britain.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't decide if being called Dakota is a step up or a step down from being called Destiny.

― kirsten (kirsten), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I still think Quinn is a good name, fuck the haters.

― Allyzay, Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

NEVER name your kid after a vehicle make.

― teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

haha ally I had lunch with Quinn Snyd3r today!

― teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Surely 'Beetle' would be quite cute? (and see my vehicle fixation upthread)

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I still like the idea of naming a child Chipotle. If it is a boy you can call it Chip, if it is a girl you can call it Polly. I am naming my children Chipotle and Cupcake regardless of gender.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:25 (twenty-one years ago)

This is pretty funny

Hippy names .

I think the Dakotas and Codys are all the children of nouveaux riches who get lots of mail order catalogs and think those names sound upscale.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

at one of my first apartments I had neighbors who had a daughter named Cheyenne and they yelled at her all the time in their nasal accent Cheyeeeeeeeeeennnnnee!

― teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Ha ha. I loved those links, Kerry. SNOWPHISH. What a beautiful name! It's like angels singing! HA!

Today I'm liking Myrna and Maura for girls. Take that!

― Sarah MClusky (coco), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Shouldn't we be brainstorming on the name of Alex in NYC's kid? I vote Roxor or Fire.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought it would be called Jaz????

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

What about ROXOR URALLGAY?

― Sarah McLUsky (coco), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Now we're talking.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I just talked to a guy named Bufford. I can't see this name making a comeback.

― Dale the Titled (cprek), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:54 (twenty-one years ago)

My favorites on the hippie list were Doobie, Dude, and Feelfree.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:57 (twenty-one years ago)

God I hate hippies sometimes. If I ever catch someone naming their kid "Doobie" I swear I'm gonna urinate all over their stupid hippy car or something.

However, that site did have one name I actually really did like: Lyric.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:01 (twenty-one years ago)

What about ROXOR URALLGAY?

Trips off the tongue, depends on the last name though

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I am a name rockist. All these nouveau, yuppy-duppy names make my skin crawl.
My aunt named my little cousin Constance, calls her Connie of course. My mom hates it, but I've grown to like it. I think. Maybe I just like her. You don't hear of too many Connies nowadays.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)

I was out w/ a connie and a marion the other week.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:08 (twenty-one years ago)

How old is that Connie?

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Worst gameshow ever?

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

here's some good ones.
http://wesclark.com/ubn/

― lurker!, Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Quip of the night.

I love Lucy.

― Lara (Lara), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I probably mentioned this upthread, but I still have not quite accepted the girlfriend's insistence that if she has a son, his name has to be Maynard.

I'm equally insistent about Blaze (both of these are names from our families), but man, I'd so rather be named Blaze than Maynard.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I think she's thirty-one or -two.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:13 (twenty-one years ago)

You had me utterly confused for a minute, N. But haha!

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Maynard = makers of fine confectionary = ok.

Pontefract = better.

― Lara (Lara), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Haribo!

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

(Harry Bo?)

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Maynard Blaze Haribo Tepslastname. I'd so be killed in my sleep.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I like the name Maynard when pronounced mayNARD, however MAYnurd can go fuck itself.

And Blaze!?! "Family name"!?! Could Wolverine and Storm make it to the family reunion this year or something?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I knew this punk-rock girl named Blaze who worked in a coffee shop in Kalamazoo. She was awesome.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:18 (twenty-one years ago)

What are y'alls thoughts on Sasha? I like it but would she end up as either (A) a porn star or (B) a secret agent? Or (C) both?

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Jay, that sounds like the start of a Kim Gordon song - keep on going.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

There's people out there named Blaze??? I didn't think former American Gladiators spawned so quickly.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

(massive xpost) Just talked to a guy named Kermit.

― Dale the Titled (cprek), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

just talked to a Pernell!

― teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Blaze is the only member of my father's family I would immortalize in name, and possibly I feel I should do this because my father's parents were very upset by my dropping the surname, since my father was an only son. Anyway, though! --

Blaze was my great-however-many-uncle from Tennessee who fought in the Civil War after being drafted or keelhauled or dragged off or whatever (he didn't volunteer, and didn't want to be there, that's all I know). He did his thing for awhile, and his company surrendered at the end of the war somewhere northish, like Pennsylvania -- somewhere far from home, is the point. The Union guy they surrendered to say, "Each soldier who surrenders personally gets a new pair of shoes and will be put on the train back to wherever."

Great-however-many-uncle Blaze spat his tobacco in the dirt, said, "Nah, fuck the yankees," and walked home to Tennessee barefoot, so the story goes.

It's the only interesting story from that side of the family.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

haha, N.!

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I was once involved with a nu-metaller-type bloke. He wanted to combine our tastes in music and call our offspring (ha! no pun intended) Zombie Jarvis. That would have totally rocked.

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:04 (twenty-one years ago)

rocked a bag of dicks

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:06 (twenty-one years ago)

b-but Zombie Jarvis Macintyre would have been the best name ever!

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Nah, you need Pineapple in there somewhere.
Pineapple seems like it should be the acme of white-trash names.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:11 (twenty-one years ago)

My sister knows a boy named Coconut.

― Allyzay, Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Give him my regards. Broadway as well while you're at it.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:18 (twenty-one years ago)

WTF are regards? I think I meant condolences.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Sasha sounds like a bad trance DJ.

Zelda would need a brother named Link.

Kids should be named after cat names: Precious; Fluffy; Pepper; &c.

Big ups to:
Finnegan
Trieste
Thy Lethal Zen Ned

― Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm hoping Nicolars catches on.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:23 (twenty-one years ago)

OK. I'll name my baby Nicolars.

― Allyzay, Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Okay then, I will name my third baby Allyzay -- but Cupcake and Chipotle come first.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Some people call me Nicolars sometimes.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:32 (twenty-one years ago)

You're just a bandwagon jumper.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I got shot down on:
Vladimir, Otis, and Hank.
(Man, my wife hates "Hank.")

Girls' names I liked were:
Lucy, Ekaterina,
and Ruth. All no go.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Eustacia in da house!

― Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Anastasia: then she could claim to be the missing Romanov

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Sasha IS a bad trance DJ (spot the redundancy)

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:38 (twenty-one years ago)

"Spinderella's Not a Fella (Sasha IS a Bad Trance DJ)"

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Thy Lethal Zen Ned

Indeed so.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Namaste is good
Grizelda is VERY good
Fugly, though, is bad

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:44 (twenty-one years ago)

nicholarse.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:45 (twenty-one years ago)

crosspost, namaste is almost czech for square?

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Fugly could be one of those "truth in advertising" type names.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I think "RJG" is Czech for "square"!

― Allyzay, Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:48 (twenty-one years ago)

you never met me in the czech republic.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:51 (twenty-one years ago)

bagodix

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 22:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Ofani

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 22 October 2003 22:52 (twenty-one years ago)

We've got Rudy & Sonny for our boys & possibly Daisy for our little girl. Jury is still out on the girl's name though.

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Thursday, 23 October 2003 12:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Momugatu

― Nicolars (Nicole), Thursday, 23 October 2003 12:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Nickname Gat?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 23 October 2003 12:42 (twenty-one years ago)

No, that wouldn't hold with the Zoolander pronunciation.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Thursday, 23 October 2003 12:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah well.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 23 October 2003 12:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Nicolars!! I've just seen Zoolander! It's THE BEST FILM EVER! I want a pet male model!

― Sarah (starry), Thursday, 23 October 2003 12:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't we all?

― Nicolars (Nicole), Thursday, 23 October 2003 13:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I like Ruby, still.

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 23 October 2003 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I just wish she wouldn't take her love to town.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Thursday, 23 October 2003 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

My favorite girl's name is Lucy. Nick's cat is named Lucy. So I guess if we ever had a baby girl and named it Lucy, people might think we are naming her after a cat.

I do think it would be cute to have a daughter name Pepper. hmmm.. I am crazy!

I like Ruby too.

Brendan is a good boy's name.

― Sarah McLUsky (coco), Thursday, 23 October 2003 15:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Poppy or Dana, if tis a girl

Clark or Jude, if tis a boy

(I'm aware I'll have to teach them karate to defend themselves.)

I just wish she wouldn't take her love to town.

Where would she spend her diamonds, though?

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Thursday, 23 October 2003 15:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Dunstan for a boy - obv.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 23 October 2003 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Dunstan Baran? Hell of a mouthful for a three year old to lisp, isn't it?

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Thursday, 23 October 2003 15:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I knew an archaeologist at university called Dunstan. He was OK. He wore plaid shirts and read Jeanette Winterson. His dad was a vicar.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 23 October 2003 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

my friend just had a baby girl last week, they named her Cassidy. My friend is a big fan of cowboys.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Thursday, 23 October 2003 15:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Lucy is one of my favorites, too

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 23 October 2003 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I prefer Dunston:

http://www.foxhome.com/dunston/Shared/Images/dunstonwLuggage.gif

― Nicolars (Nicole), Thursday, 23 October 2003 17:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I do think it would be cute to have a daughter name Pepper

I actually know a woman named Pfeffer (i.e., German for "pepper").

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 23 October 2003 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Is she cute?

― Sarah McLUsky (coco), Thursday, 23 October 2003 18:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Eh.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 23 October 2003 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Her sister Audra is cuter.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 23 October 2003 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

(oh christ now she's going to find this!)

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 23 October 2003 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Audra is a really silly name. Who wants to be at a bar and be introduced as "i'm sorry what was that name?" Really Audra???

― Travis Laurendine, Thursday, 23 October 2003 22:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Pheiffer? Who wants to be named after the woman who starred in Grease II?? Dont wanna be remebered as the girl who splits with the T-Birds to go after her Australian motorcycle-driving hunk????

― Travis Laurendine, Thursday, 23 October 2003 22:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Are you really called Travis?

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 23 October 2003 22:24 (twenty-one years ago)

A lot of you guys like poetic and/or creative names.

I'm not really like that. Sure, I'd like for my future children to be named pretty names, but I do also harbor deep fantasies about having my future children be titans of the boardroom, so I want them to have names that would look good on their MBA diplomas.

Favorite girl's name of the moment: Catherine Madison. I think Catherine Madison is beautiful and a name that can be taken seriously. For a boy, I prefer Jonathan Laurence the most, because it too is a lyrical name that would do really well in a corporate setting.

Hm, maybe I ought to aim for adopting TWO children sometime in the future, one girl and one boy, and give them the aforementioned names!

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 24 October 2003 03:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh damn, I just realized that my "favorite boy's name" sounds suspiciously like the name of an annoying male TV actor, one who co-starred in an early '90s sitcom I could NOT stand.

Hmmm. How about Jonathan Anderson? Yeah, that's better.

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 24 October 2003 03:44 (twenty-one years ago)

The person who was supervising me at work today is named Lillia. I dig it. I think.

― oops (Oops), Friday, 24 October 2003 04:35 (twenty-one years ago)

the 18th century rocked.

Opportunity Jones

― Skottie, Friday, 24 October 2003 05:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Shouldn't we be brainstorming on the name of Alex in NYC's kid? I vote Roxor or Fire.

In all seriousness, I was gunning for "Geordie" if a boy (the name of Killing Joke's guitarist, Geordie Walker), but the wife gave it thumbs down (and this after I vetoed her suggestion, "Cordelia" if a girl). At the moment, we've picked out a name for a boy, but have yet to settle on a girl's name.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 24 October 2003 06:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Geordelia, obviously!

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 24 October 2003 13:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Geordelia is a fantastic name.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Friday, 24 October 2003 13:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I think Nicolars would sort of have to say that, though, it's like Bumblelion big upping the Wuzzles.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 24 October 2003 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Possum Jenkins

― Chris V. (Chris V), Friday, 24 October 2003 13:58 (twenty-one years ago)

18th cent. redux

Capability Brown

― Skottie, Friday, 24 October 2003 14:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Geordelia clearly is the way to go. Seriously, what is the boy's name you've picked?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 24 October 2003 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Geordelio, surely?

― Lara (Lara), Friday, 24 October 2003 15:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Is it not Jaz? And why not!?! ;-)

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 24 October 2003 16:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Schenectady!

― Skottie, Friday, 24 October 2003 19:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Some friends of ours just had twin boys and named them Osmyn-Delano and Daishelle. Aye yai yai.

The male name we both agree on (for the moment) is Oliver. The female names that are contenders are Charlotte and Lucy. I'm sure these will all change, though.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 24 October 2003 20:13 (twenty-one years ago)

True story: On Wednesday night, when I told Jaz I was thinking about naming our child after him, `twas he that suggested "Jazmyn" (or however you'd spell it) if it's a girl. Always thinking, our Jaz.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 24 October 2003 20:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe I will buy some Killing Joke records after all.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 24 October 2003 21:47 (twenty-one years ago)

"Oliver" brings to mind Robin Hood-cum-communist vigilante archers. "Charlotte" is so otm though.

― Leee (Leee), Friday, 24 October 2003 21:49 (twenty-one years ago)

"Charlotte" is a beautiful name! I love "Charlotte".

(Oh yes, and the fact that "Charlotte Sometimes" is such an awesome song kinda helps matters a tiny little bit here. *grin*)

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 24 October 2003 22:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm kinda digging on "Sometimes."

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 24 October 2003 22:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Word is in from the hinterland, my niece will be named Destiny Rose Lastname.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 00:05 (twenty-one years ago)

By the way, "namaste" means something like hello in India.

― NA (Nick A.), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 01:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Some friends of ours just had twin boys and named them Osmyn-Delano and Daishelle. Aye yai yai.

Eep. I'm praying they have a simple last name, like Johnson or Smith. Else, they better start learning how to talk their way out of schoolyard scraps.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 01:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Why would anyone give a child a surname as a first name unless it was a family name? (insert quick moan about being called "Blair" here)

My children are going to be called Honey, Angel Gabriel and Benefactors. I am not joking.

― Mark C (Mark C), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 16:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I have a nephew (Whalen) whose first name is a surname, but...yes, it is a family name.

Angel Gabriel and Benefactors might have a bit of trouble in the playground. Just tellin' ya now, Mark.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 16:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Surely Gabe and Ben will be just fine! Oh, and Honey's a boy too, in case you were wondering...

― Mark C (Mark C), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Noooo!!!!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 17:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Why would anyone give a child a surname as a first name unless it was a family name?

Hey, it's good enough for Clark Kent...

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 17:07 (twenty-one years ago)

My friends have just named their baby 'Vincent Lucius' - if he doesn't grow up to be superbly sinister I shall be disappointed.

And I've just realised that although I spoke to my dad on the phone last night, I didn't find out what my new step-niece is called! I might well be almost related to someone called 'Kayleigh' or something and not even know it!

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 17:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I just did some data entry for a B0NDA BELCHER! WTF?

Also, I think Clementine would be a good girls name.

― Dale the Titled (cprek), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 21:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Heini is a fantastic name.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 21:55 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...
I like the names....

Kafel or Jaylynn coyx (sounds like coy) for a boy or
Cheyenne moon for a girl.

― , Monday, 1 March 2004 14:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Lewis for a boy, Wren for a girl....

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Right now we're looking at Oliver if a boy and either Charlotte, Zoe or Lucy if a girl.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Jaylynn coyx (sounds like coy)

Why do people always add the extraneous y or x? It's the most annoying thing in the world. It doesn't make the name sound unique, it just makes the person who came up with the name look illiterate.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Wren?!

― smee (smee), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I love Charlotte or Lucy, Alex!

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Jaylynn Coyx is why the Tep Education Reform Plan requires that every middle school student create 30 Dungeons and Dragons characters, to get bad naming habits out of their system.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, like Jeni wren, my wee lassie will be a little brown bird, so Wren will be v. approp

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Nicole is OTM. "Coyx" is UNBELIEVABLY lame, and will mark your child down for ridicule and you for scorn. I'm not joking here.

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I assumed Coyx was a surname.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

It is a bit "Dark Crystal," isn't it.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Naming children after straight-edge ornamental fish, c/d?

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

X RATED TYRONE

― X RATED TYRONE, Monday, 1 March 2004 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I like the name Coccyx.

― Madchen (Madchen), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I like how you think

― X RATED TYRONE, Monday, 1 March 2004 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Jeni Wren? People will think she's in t'army....

― smee (smee), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I realised the other day that all the names I like at the moment - Shirley, Rita, Daisy - are the names of great aunts and friends of my grandparents in Liverpool. Which probably makes me the equivalent of the couples who names their sons "Jack" or "Harry". : (

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

But most of them choose Jack or Harry because it's trendy or some celebrity named their child that.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know - Titanic apart, I think that the 'Jack' madness was more to do with some lame-o late 90s 'no nonsense' plain speaking thing.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm a big fan of Italian names. My kitten's name is Enzo. I also love Carmine (my grandfather's name). Jersey guido girl in da house.

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I've updated an earlier thought vocalized on this thread: now I want to have twin boys named Original Recipe and Extra Tasty Crispy.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Hippies aren't what they used to be.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:28 (twenty-one years ago)

For girls, I'm a huge fan of precious-stone names: Emerald (was my grandma's name), Ruby (my friend Leesa just had a daughter by this name), Sapphire, Pearl, etc. I'm not sure if the name Amethyst is over-the-top or gorgeous.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:28 (twenty-one years ago)

OMG I forgot about that hippy-children name-list. Whosoever names their child Dude deserves to get bong-induced lung-fungus.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:34 (twenty-one years ago)

*scrapes Dude off the list quickly*

― chris (chris), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I guess it's okay if your surname ends in "-ington".

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Why would anyone give a child a surname as a first name unless it was a family name?

I am pretty hardcore about this rule-- I don't mind creative names, I don't mind retro names, but fake pretentious names make me gag. Of course, who in the kid's day-to-day world KNOWS whether the kid's name is a family name or not? It doesn't matter, I'm sticking to the rule.

I suggested my great grandfather's name, Rowan, but that was vetoed by Missus H. So he's Andrew.

― Hunter (Hunter), Monday, 1 March 2004 17:35 (twenty-one years ago)

jack is a good name and I am sad that it is so popular.

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 1 March 2004 17:38 (twenty-one years ago)

we created a huge fucking crisis for my mom when we gave my son the middle name "Zeidengor." I'm still cracking up about that. but picking Sam and Emma for our kids' names turns out to be the most typical thing ever, there are 1,000,000 8-year-old Emmas in our town already. another girl would probably be named Molly. another boy is pretty much too terrifying to think about at this point.

― Begs2Differ (Begs2Differ), Monday, 1 March 2004 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

a girl i would go with either Ruby Texana or Ruby Wynona.

Boy: Austin Dallas.

spare me your scorn please, I like them.

― Viva La Sam (thatgirl), Monday, 1 March 2004 17:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I like Gwen and Gwyn as well, but he doesn't. I'm also keen on Flo-Ella, again Mr Pumpkin vetoes it.

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Monday, 1 March 2004 17:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Sam at least they're better than Waco El Paso or Corpus Christy! (spelled with a y on purpose)

― Begs2Differ (Begs2Differ), Monday, 1 March 2004 17:51 (twenty-one years ago)

hmmm.. .

― Viva La Sam (thatgirl), Monday, 1 March 2004 17:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Flo-Ella sounds kind of like a kitchen cleaner.

― kirsten (kirsten), Monday, 1 March 2004 17:55 (twenty-one years ago)

After Floella Benjamin, 80's kids t.v presenter. I wonder what she's doing nowadays....

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Monday, 1 March 2004 17:57 (twenty-one years ago)

It's better without the hyphen.

― kirsten (kirsten), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, more true to the original as well. Wee baby Flo.... Awww

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:09 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.broadwaytovegas.com/mekka.jpg

― Chris V (Chris V), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

The big Ragu.

Now there's a name. Carmine is kinda rare too.

― Hunter (Hunter), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:56 (twenty-one years ago)

i went to school with so many girls who'd been given "family" names: carter, dwyer, cameron, thayer, rowan, sloane, miller. it was confusing to me at first, coming from an elementary school full of karens, angelas, and lisas where lauren was viewed as exotic.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I went to college with a guy named Thorne Sparkman.

― Begs2Differ (Begs2Differ), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

whoa. that's pretty "dynasty." a friend of mine went to school with a guy called tudor baloney.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:35 (twenty-one years ago)

oh come on, not really. Tudor Baloney? that's SO gonna be my next screen name.

― Begs2Differ (Begs2Differ), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow. Tudor Baloney.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

What's tragic about Tudor Baloney is that ANY first name would sound ridiculous with such a last name accompanying it. But Tudor? Why make matters worse?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:46 (twenty-one years ago)

it's totally true. i was told that the tudor part, at least, is romanian.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Floella is alive and well and last I saw her she was presenting a Childrens Classic Concert at the Glasgow Concert Hall...mind you that were a few years back...

Rumpy, you call your kid Floella and I don't care how cute she is, I will not be her faux auntie, OK?

On subject of surnames as first names - in Sex & The City what do Miranda and Steve call Brady now they're married? Brady Brady? Hmmm?

― smee (smee), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 16:53 (twenty-one years ago)

My friend worked on a programme Floella B was doing for a while and reported that she's a real bitch and hates kids.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm sticking to my guns! Floella and that's it! Or Wren, Gwen or Gwyn.

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 17:05 (twenty-one years ago)

In that case I shall just call him or her Bob, the end.

― smee (smee), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Okay, and they shall refer to their Aunty Smee as Cagney. Full Stop.

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 17:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm in class with a dude named C0le C0tur3.

Anyway still favoring Quinn.

― Allyzay, Tuesday, 2 March 2004 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Quim

― Chris 'The Big Ragu' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 17:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I went to high school with a girl named Quinnetta.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 17:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Quinnetta Quinn.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 17:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Ned's a great name. Try that.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Quinned

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

For a girl?!?!

xpost

― Allyzay, Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I also used to work with a girl named Johnetta Johnson.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Scooter Pastrami

― Chris 'The Big Ragu' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Scooter? Chuckle. Poor babs. Skitter though is nice for a girl.

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Skitter? That sounds like ill pooping, kind of.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

(Sorry.)

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Chappy Sinclair

― Chris 'The Big Ragu' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I am going to name my kids "Seven Costanza Kenyon" and "Pepper."

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Shaun Ryder!
things not to name your kids after:
soda pop (Shasta)
likker (Hennessey, Tequila)
and of course the apocryphal twins Orangejello and Lemonjello

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:09 (twenty-one years ago)

When I was in jail, I met a woman named Tanqueray. She was so scary!

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:14 (twenty-one years ago)

She stole my muffin, coffee and milk in the morning, and during the night, she kept waking up and having to pee and nudging me and making me hold a blanket in front of the toilet so nobody would see her.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:15 (twenty-one years ago)

which begs the question...how come you were in jail? Not that there's anything wrong with that

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha, it's a long and surprisingly boring story.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I swear that one day I am going to get two kittens and name them Orangejello and Lemonjello.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha, my first post ever here was about how one of my friends told me she babysat for kids named Lemonjello and Orangejello, and I had no idea this was some kind of big myth thing, and someone totally shot me down and I was frightened out of posting for like three months.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Fear not!

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

what was a myth? that your friend babysat them?

― Viva La Sam (thatgirl), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)

No, the names! When I posted it, everyone was like "Fuckin hell, Lemonjello and Orangejello are totally made up!" and then I felt bad that my friend had lied to me.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

No, they aren't. They were twins who were big college football players. Totally real.

― Viva La Sam (thatgirl), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)

a friend of mine used to live near an old couple called dick and fanny cox.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Really? I had no idea. She just told me she babysat for kids with those names, and when I posted it, I totally got shot down!

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha, there were kids in my neighborhood growing up who were named Dick and Red Heiney.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Imhotep

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:32 (twenty-one years ago)

A teacher in my elementary school was also named Dick Cox!

― Begs2Differ (Begs2Differ), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I used to go to school with a girl whose dad was called Willie Dick. This was funny when we were about nine.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:36 (twenty-one years ago)

no way, I thought it was fake too! obviously I too will now name my unborn children L-jello and O-jello (Version 2.0)

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I hope this isn't another silly urban myth thing, but one of my friends said she had a German teacher in high school who was named Ball, and that they had to call him Herr Ball.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)

My Western History teacher was Dick Manley.

(My friend and I did our end-of-the-year presentation -- which had to be on a non-American artist -- on Sergio Aragones, and claimed he was a Spanish painter. Pretty much the whole presentation, except the slides of MAD magazines, was made up on the spot.)

(Not because his name was Dick Manley, though.)

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I had a Spanish teacher my freshman year of college who was called Cuervo. Needless to say, our end-of-semester presentations usually involved tequila, and also, the teacher looked exactly like Desi Arnaz and he was so cute and I always wanted to ask him to say "you've got some 'splainin' to do" and yeah, that was a fun class.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I am going to name my kids "Seven Costanza Kenyon" and "Pepper."

I knew a girl named Sevenju Pepper: "Sevenju" because she was born on June 7.

― Paul Eater (eater), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha! I think she must be my soulmate.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Parents must decide: do they want easily Googleable children or ones who can fade into the ether?

Sevenju is evidently dancing in San Francisco these days.

― Paul Eater (eater), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 19:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow, I never thought about taking Googlability into account when naming a kid. I'm totally going to google any suggested names, though (first names only, since I have a feeling-lucky last name), cause I don't want to accidentally name my kid after some News of the Weird story or the peanut butter in an Eeyore/Piglet slash sandwich.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 19:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I want to name my kids Pathe* and Odeon.

*imagine the accent.

― sgs (sgs), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 19:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I've already told everybody this but just to reiterate,

Lamar
Omar
Pilar
Ishtar

Thank you

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 2 March 2004 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Seriously what is the matter with you? Do you WANT your children to hate you?

― allyzay, Tuesday, 2 March 2004 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I still think any of those names would look totally awesome on a book jacket.

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 2 March 2004 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

If I have another boy I'm naming him Coleman Coleman Coleman.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 19:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Those children wouldn't make it to be on a book jacket as they would've committed suicide at age 14 after years of brutal teasing. If they haven't gone Columbine or some shit on everyone. WTF!

― Allyzay, Tuesday, 2 March 2004 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm gonna name my son Tony Tone Toni

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

cozen.

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

brand name innit.

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

cozen brand childrens

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

one of my friends has cox as a surname, and some hilarity has ensued. when a mutual friend of ours called information and asked for "gracie" cox, there was a stunned silence and then the operator blurted out, "did you just ask for greasy cocks?".

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 20:25 (twenty-one years ago)

When a friend of mine was pregnant, I spent a lot of time trying to convince her to call her then unborn child 'General Zod.' She gave him a nice, normal name in the end, but refers to him as 'young Zod' quite often. I'm not sure if he notices, but he's only four.

― mmmmsalt (Graeme), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 20:26 (twenty-one years ago)

My friend's "Men's Studies" teacher is named Dick Meacock.

― Paul Eater (eater), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 21:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Pilar is a great, fairly common, Spanish name.

I think Lamar is good too.

― Viva La Sam (thatgirl), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 21:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Lothar
Nomar
Babar
Anwar
Hobart
Sambar
Zanzibar
Ansar

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 21:23 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.jsonline.com/enter/sw/images/ackbar.jpg

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Nomar Millar sounds presidential.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 21:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Zohar
Kobar
Doha Qatar
Miramar
Bogart
Moammar

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...
I like the boy names Gideon, Gregorie, Lucien, and Stephan (not Steven) For girls i like alexis, aislin, Tarah, and Severine.

By the way don't be cruel. My best friends name is Ben Dover. I also know a Shitta Onyu. Parents can be so cruel.

― Kassie, Saturday, 3 April 2004 03:27 (twenty-one years ago)

eight months pass...
Names I like, not baby names: Terence, Sasha, Miles, Soren.

― youn, Thursday, 23 December 2004 23:06 (twenty years ago)

Madeleine, Kate, Marnie

― youn, Thursday, 23 December 2004 23:59 (twenty years ago)

Hilary, Laura

― youn, Tuesday, 28 December 2004 03:17 (twenty years ago)

I still like Wren, Gwen and Gwyn for a girl, gone off Floella.

Think if we have a boy we'll call him Cormack. We can shorten it to Mack cause I think that's awfully cute.

― Rumpster Pumpster, Tuesday, 28 December 2004 13:00 (twenty years ago)

Nebuchadnezzar
Neriglissar
Nabopolassar

― Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 28 December 2004 16:21 (twenty years ago)

Haydee, Rosemary

― youn, Saturday, 8 January 2005 16:22 (twenty years ago)

Amelia

― youn, Sunday, 9 January 2005 01:15 (twenty years ago)

My niece or nephew, due at the end of the month, will be:
Alice, Isabella or Lucy.
Ian, Owen or Gordon.
My name is Alison Isobel, after my grandmothers Alice and Isabella, and when it was assumed I was a boy(three older brothers) I was going to be Ian. So I feel quite honored to have the new little one follow in my naming footsteps.
I don't love Lucy, just because of modern connotations via Peanuts and the Beastie Boys.
Owen is gorgeous, and I could become quite fond of Gordon.
Names I like:
Gideon
Langdon
Atticus
and...
Iona and Skye, which my father wanted to name me. Am I selfish? I like my name better than Iona Skye Murchie - his preference.
Well, it's really, clearly not up to me.
The Murchie I get is the Murchie I want. A brand new niece nephew! I am very excited.

― aimurchie, Sunday, 9 January 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

Alice and Owen are very nice, aimurchie. But babies are good at making any name seem like the cutest name ever.

My flatmate's little baby niece is called Esme, which is pretty and maybe I will steal if I ever get a child. And yesterday I thought isn't Elliot a great name. I really like 'E' names.

― Cathy (Cathy), Sunday, 9 January 2005 14:27 (twenty years ago)

Ooooh...I LOVE Esme. And Elliot. Maybe I like vowel names in general,.

― aimurchie, Sunday, 9 January 2005 17:57 (twenty years ago)

some friends of my boyfriend named their son mercury. we secretly refer to him as 'hg'. and they apparently had the nerve to criticize the name clementine, which will be out daughter's name. freaks!

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Sunday, 9 January 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

I was thinking that maybe parents deliberately give their children awful names because in later life when the kid is tired and stroppy and really really annoying - as is inevitable - the parent can think "ha, I got you, you little *****"

― isadora (isadora), Sunday, 9 January 2005 21:32 (twenty years ago)

...or maybe the kid could grow up and own the awful name and say "ha, I got you, you pair of *****'s"

― aimurchie, Sunday, 9 January 2005 22:31 (twenty years ago)

My friend just named her baby Addison.

― Allyzay Needs Legs More (allyzay), Monday, 10 January 2005 06:32 (twenty years ago)

Over holidays, I found out that I have a distant baby cousin named S1lver J3well Goldst3in.

My family is so incredibly great at being classless. I envy them so.

― Daniel Cohen (dayan), Monday, 10 January 2005 07:21 (twenty years ago)

We need more futuristic names:

Zull
Morph
Steel
Kaltarn
Borsh (the Third)

― Ste (Fuzzy), Monday, 10 January 2005 10:38 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...
Seymour (I only found out yesterday on To the Point that Sy was a nickname for it. Also, Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters has a crushworthy Seymour in it.)

― youn, Thursday, 27 January 2005 20:11 (twenty years ago)

BOYS:
Halliday
Field
Davey

GIRLS:
Korin
Olive
Juliana
Koura
Jessica-Vincent

― rainy (rainy), Friday, 28 January 2005 00:20 (twenty years ago)

Kyle

― youn, Thursday, 10 February 2005 05:46 (twenty years ago)

fun fr a while!

― cozen (Cozen), Sunday, 20 February 2005 20:25 (twenty years ago)

link.

― cozen (Cozen), Sunday, 20 February 2005 20:34 (twenty years ago)

jonah.

― tudor baloney (Cozen), Sunday, 20 February 2005 20:42 (twenty years ago)

Interesting site.

I am still keen on the name Cupcake.

― Leon the Fatboy (Ex Leon), Sunday, 20 February 2005 20:42 (twenty years ago)

furman.

― tudor baloney (Cozen), Sunday, 20 February 2005 20:50 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...
This man has the greatest name ever and none of you have beaten him.

― Allyzay Dallas Multi-Pass (allyzay), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 04:04 (twenty years ago)

not as great as Hermann Z. German

― lychee mello (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 04:06 (twenty years ago)

Regina, Seth

― youn, Wednesday, 9 March 2005 04:08 (twenty years ago)

Our daughter was born on the 4th of July. We swore to our families that we were going to name her Firecracker — had them going for a while.

― Curious George Rides a Republican (Rock Hardy), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 04:10 (twenty years ago)

I discovered Urban J. Jermann doing a lexis search on "urban studies journal," whatever I was going to find in there on comparative results of regentrification efforts in three upper Manhattan neighborhoods was not half as worthwhile as discovering a man named Urban J. Jermann.

― Allyzay Dallas Multi-Pass (allyzay), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 04:11 (twenty years ago)

http://www.dendarii.co.uk/Covers/German/twa_de.jpg

― TOMBOT, Wednesday, 9 March 2005 04:13 (twenty years ago)

girls:
Ruby
Texana
Wynona

boys:
Dallas
Austin
Deacon

― Miss Misery (thatgirl), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 04:44 (twenty years ago)

I can only think of boys names I like:

Philo
Spiro
Ollie
Royce


― kate/baby loves headrub (papa november), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 04:51 (twenty years ago)

Talia

― youn, Monday, 14 March 2005 21:10 (twenty years ago)

since I'm going through voter rolls all the time, I find such lovely names! last election I found 0k Bless and Lo1ita Lopicco1o.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 14 March 2005 21:22 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...
http://www.newbabynews.net/hospitals/mmc1/public/mmc1birthannouncement.pl?babyID=h1-4161

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 9 April 2005 18:18 (twenty years ago)

Names I absolutely adore...
Girls: Raquelle Elizabeth, Severine, Charlotte Emilie, Voltairine, Emma Caroline, Bronwyn, Lucienne, Juliane, Aubergine (she'd be my little eggplant, haha!)
Boys: Ivo, Tristan, Souvarine, Etienne, Julian

By the way, my last name isn't really Riese-Moraine. At least not yet. I have no interest in wanting children, though.

― Ian Riese-Moraine. To Hell with you and your gradual evolution! (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 9 April 2005 18:57 (twenty years ago)

I forgot these names, too: Sandrine Aynsley, Rachael Chistelle, Tamsin, Morgan, Teagan, Alicia, Gabrielle, Rebecca, Victoria

― Ian Riese-Moraine. To Hell with you and your gradual evolution! (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 9 April 2005 18:59 (twenty years ago)

Eep! And Jasper for either a boy or girl.

― Ian Riese-Moraine. To Hell with you and your gradual evolution! (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 9 April 2005 19:00 (twenty years ago)

And one more: Sophia is always utterly classic. I don't mind the names Brooke, Ciara, or Meaghan either, even if they aren't as exotic.

― Ian Riese-Moraine. To Hell with you and your gradual evolution! (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 9 April 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

I like Jasper (for a boy) and Brooke (for a girl), too. And Severin (for a boy).

― youn, Saturday, 9 April 2005 19:13 (twenty years ago)

GAH! I forgot Miette!

― Ian Riese-Moraine. To Hell with you and your gradual evolution! (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 9 April 2005 19:25 (twenty years ago)

Hmm...clicking on the link will make you fret.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 9 April 2005 19:29 (twenty years ago)

I have an Aunt Bronwen. I really love Welsh names.

Poor little Aryan.

― Cathy (Cathy), Saturday, 9 April 2005 19:32 (twenty years ago)

Welsh names are very lovely.



Hmm...clicking on the link will make you fret.

Oh god. I didn't see that before. I'm going to be so ill.

― Ian Riese-Moraine. To Hell with you and your gradual evolution! (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 9 April 2005 22:37 (twenty years ago)

Hmm...clicking on the link will make you fret.

The name "Fuckwit Parents" was taken

― Autumn Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Saturday, 9 April 2005 23:06 (twenty years ago)

girl: frances
boy: lyle

― jill schoelen is the queen of my dreams! (Homosexual II), Saturday, 9 April 2005 23:18 (twenty years ago)

Have always thought this would make an excellent name: Boosenech

It is a holophrastic Micmac word, meaning "let us take a trip by water, let us go in a canoe".

― De_nis, Sunday, 10 April 2005 18:34 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...
Blaise Pascal is a lovely name.

― youn, Wednesday, 18 May 2005 01:02 (twenty years ago)

I dunno. I like Quinn, Laeticia, Claudia, Laszlo, Parker, Rainer, Francesca, Stacia, Genevieve, Gavril, Danya, Angelina, Estella, Tomek.

― Allyzay do not obtain to make download of yours MP3 (allyzay), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 02:02 (twenty years ago)

There are far more cool names for boys than there are for girls, I reckon. IMHO, the coolest name for a boy is Salimuzzamen.

― Vic's here, Tuesday, 31 May 2005 10:43 (twenty years ago)

Nebuchadnessar.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 11:16 (twenty years ago)

It's actually hard to come up with boy's names (in our language anyway). We haven't really been thinking about it too much, actually having a good laugh thinking up *wrong* names. I think by the sixth month we'll be freaking out trying to come up with the right name. We already have two boy's names. :-)

― nathalie's baby (stevie nixed), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 11:21 (twenty years ago)

Boy: Rene
Girl: Eileen

― youn, Thursday, 2 June 2005 22:09 (twenty years ago)

I've pretty much settled on George Austin for a boy and Ruby Wynona for a girl although lately I've been thinking St.John for a boy would also be nice.

― Miss Misery (thatgirl), Friday, 3 June 2005 00:46 (twenty years ago)

Dilchthe looks like a ghost word in the dictionary, but is my step mom's name. She claims never to have met a namesake.

― Number from the Gates, Friday, 3 June 2005 09:50 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...
My baby sister just had a girl - called her Mercedes, which I think is lovely.

― S@rah Derv1n, Monday, 4 July 2005 10:57 (twenty years ago)

There's a local politician who's named Mercedes. Her slogan? "The Mercedes of the People."

I think it's going to be difficult finding a name. There's lots of names I like, but would never want my child to carry: Ophelia, Cordelia,... They sound a little pompous.

― nathalie's post modern sleaze fest (stevie nixed), Monday, 4 July 2005 11:04 (twenty years ago)

Idlewild is a brill name.

― JH, Monday, 4 July 2005 11:14 (twenty years ago)

Nancy, Candy, Arthur

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 4 July 2005 13:40 (twenty years ago)

Mooroopna for a girl.

― tidy, Monday, 4 July 2005 13:55 (twenty years ago)

At the moment I like Daisy or Gracie for a girl with "Neena" as a middle name as it was the nickname my Grandad used to call my Nan.

― PinXorchiXoR (Pinkpanther), Monday, 4 July 2005 14:00 (twenty years ago)

"Idlewild is a brill name."

There's also a crap band with that name.

― nathalie's post modern sleaze fest (stevie nixed), Monday, 4 July 2005 14:06 (twenty years ago)

I know, but who'll remember the band in five years, though?

― Jh, Monday, 4 July 2005 14:09 (twenty years ago)

Reid strikes a cord with me. I really like the name, and it's a shame it will never go with my last name, not in 100000 years.

I hasten to add, it is NOT after the appaling late-80s funk band.

― JTS, Monday, 4 July 2005 21:59 (twenty years ago)

In last week's bogan paper there was a new kid. Its name was Bodhi. We thought "hey wow, fantastic, an Indian-or-such name", before we saw the names of its siblings: Jackson, Chantelle, Zacharee [sic]. That's when we realised Bodhi is actually Body with a silent H.

― New teef! Dat's weird (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 4 July 2005 22:26 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...
Eenooloapik is my best friends' boy's name.

― Decider, Sunday, 24 July 2005 12:45 (twenty years ago)

say what now?

― scout (scout), Sunday, 24 July 2005 13:38 (twenty years ago)

you've probably got to flip it and reverse it.

― nathalie's body's designed for two (stevie nixed), Sunday, 24 July 2005 13:39 (twenty years ago)

Is the name Janet too old fashioned for a baby these days?

― martha tols, Sunday, 24 July 2005 18:46 (twenty years ago)

No. it sounds smart and modern to these ears.

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 24 July 2005 18:50 (twenty years ago)

both my grandmothers were named janet

― RJG (RJG), Sunday, 24 July 2005 18:51 (twenty years ago)

Well there you go. (I am on my way)

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 24 July 2005 18:52 (twenty years ago)

One of my grandmothers is named Janet, I like the name.

― Leon C. (Ex Leon), Sunday, 24 July 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

I knew a Janet. I think she was even called Janet when I knew her.

― Owen, Sunday, 24 July 2005 21:45 (twenty years ago)

I am kind of dreading picking out a name for my kid, especially if it's a boy, I can't think of anything good and I think the relatives will harrass me about it no matter what.

Janet's nice though.

― teeny (teeny), Sunday, 24 July 2005 21:51 (twenty years ago)

Walter Jackson for a boy (Walt for short)
Louise Belle for a girl (Lou for short)

― Jeff-PTTL (Jeff), Sunday, 24 July 2005 22:05 (twenty years ago)

My sister's pregnant and thinking of naming her kid Chez Rayan. Chez is pronounced 'Shay'.

I don't know what I think about that... my poor nephew.

― Roz (Roz), Sunday, 24 July 2005 22:30 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...
Roger

― youn, Monday, 12 September 2005 00:48 (nineteen years ago)

Yorick, Rosalind, Lola

― youn, Tuesday, 13 September 2005 12:38 (nineteen years ago)

Cushla

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 22 September 2005 10:53 (nineteen years ago)

broseph

― N_RQ, Thursday, 22 September 2005 10:56 (nineteen years ago)

wait, is cushla the dog?

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 22 September 2005 11:07 (nineteen years ago)

Yes. Lara says it's Gaelic for "beat of my heart", which I like.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 22 September 2005 12:06 (nineteen years ago)

that is nice, yes, even if you can't bark

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 22 September 2005 12:15 (nineteen years ago)

Her heart is worse than her bite.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 22 September 2005 12:16 (nineteen years ago)

Broseph is a good one.

― O'so Krispie (Ex Leon), Thursday, 22 September 2005 12:41 (nineteen years ago)

a friend just named his daughter Journey. Journey Allegra. oh dear

― Thea (Thea), Thursday, 22 September 2005 13:14 (nineteen years ago)

Never setting the motoring world alight, the final Journey Allegra rolled off the Longbridge prouduction plant in May 1976.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 22 September 2005 13:26 (nineteen years ago)

you're so right, Alba

― Thea (Thea), Thursday, 22 September 2005 13:28 (nineteen years ago)

a friend just named his daughter Journey. Journey Allegra. oh dear

I guess it's so people Don't Stop Believing in her.

― O'so Krispie (Ex Leon), Thursday, 22 September 2005 13:30 (nineteen years ago)

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drc400/c422/c42213kbs03.jpg

― Thea (Thea), Thursday, 22 September 2005 13:37 (nineteen years ago)

My full name is Carol Ruth Emery. And I was born in 1982. People who see my name think I am 20-40 years old than I actually am. That doesn't stop it from being the best name EVAH!!!!!!

Please big it up for all the younger Carols out there......

― Carol Emery, Thursday, 22 September 2005 15:36 (nineteen years ago)

I like that sort of name, it's much nicer than those super trendy names.

― O'so Krispie (Ex Leon), Thursday, 22 September 2005 15:49 (nineteen years ago)

Alex (boy or girl)
Margaret
Cole
Leslie (boy or girl)
Caroline
Ken
Bonnie
Evan
Jason
Barry
Wendy

― Wiggy (Wiggy), Thursday, 22 September 2005 15:51 (nineteen years ago)

fido

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 22 September 2005 16:21 (nineteen years ago)

four months pass...
Sigrid, Severin

― youn, Sunday, 12 February 2006 00:06 (nineteen years ago)

Didier

― youn, Sunday, 12 February 2006 00:10 (nineteen years ago)

Today I like Adrienne, Carolyn and Genevieve.

― luna (luna.c), Sunday, 12 February 2006 07:04 (nineteen years ago)

I think it's going to be difficult finding a name. There's lots of names I like, but would never want my child to carry: Ophelia, Cordelia,... They sound a little pompous.

Er, Nath, remind us again what you named her?

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 12 February 2006 11:27 (nineteen years ago)

Actually we decided on Ophelia. Everyone keeps saying "What a special name!" hahahahaha It's obvious most don't know how to react. :-)

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Sunday, 12 February 2006 12:29 (nineteen years ago)

That's a really lovely name.

― Normally lurk, Sunday, 12 February 2006 13:18 (nineteen years ago)

i really like names that are uncommon but really cool i dont know what im having yet but for a girl i really like brooklyn, trinity, taylor,morgan,divinity & willow, for a boy coal, tobias, corbin colbin, blade or patrick

― joanne olivia, Sunday, 19 February 2006 20:47 (nineteen years ago)

Haha, you are kidding, right? Divinity?! Coal?!?!? Blade?!?!?

Me and the mister decided a long time ago if we had a girl she would either be called Eilidh, Grace or Rebecca. My brother then produced a daughter called Eilidh Grace, and my cousin produced a Rebecca. Therefore I have taken this as a sign I shouldn't have children, because if I had a girl I have no names left to call them.

(Nath, I knew she was called Ophelia, I was being "funny" - but not very successfully)

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 19 February 2006 20:52 (nineteen years ago)

haha Sorry, missed the joke. I realize I said it seemed pompous. But ah fuck it, it's a LOVELY name and why be afraid of what others might think of it? *We* like it and that's all that matters. It was either that name or Amelie and I agree with my husband: Ophelia is just the *bestest* name EVAH. :-)

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Sunday, 19 February 2006 21:48 (nineteen years ago)

It's beautiful. My parents were going to call me Aurelia but they bottled it, the chickens.

― Zora (Zora), Monday, 20 February 2006 00:26 (nineteen years ago)

Is your name really Zora? Because that's kind of awesome itself.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 20 February 2006 02:53 (nineteen years ago)

Today it's Samaire.

― luna (luna.c), Monday, 20 February 2006 03:54 (nineteen years ago)

my name is Quinn. IT IS A GOOD NAME. please name your child after me.

― killy (baby lenin pin), Monday, 20 February 2006 03:56 (nineteen years ago)

Quinn is a GREAT name.

Sadly jaymc, my name is not Zora, though I do answer to it. It's Roz. There was already a Roz on the ilx, and I use Zora all over, so...

― Zora (Zora), Monday, 20 February 2006 13:55 (nineteen years ago)

What do people think of Peggy?
too easily changed to Piggy by cruel children in the playground?

― Bidfurd (Bidfurd), Thursday, 23 February 2006 20:07 (nineteen years ago)

I should probably add that my surname is, ahem, Banks

― Bidfurd (Bidfurd), Thursday, 23 February 2006 20:08 (nineteen years ago)

It's a terrible idea. The risk is too high, Scrap that one.

― Bidfurd (Bidfurd), Thursday, 23 February 2006 20:09 (nineteen years ago)

Peggy is usually short for Margaret. You could name her Margaret and then decide later on a nickname.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 23 February 2006 20:10 (nineteen years ago)

I had heard that. Lord knows how Peggy comes from Margaret.
Don't really like Margaret though.

― Bidfurd (Bidfurd), Thursday, 23 February 2006 20:12 (nineteen years ago)

Probably the same way Polly comes from Molly comes from er, Mary, I think...?

― Laurel (Laurel), Thursday, 23 February 2006 22:48 (nineteen years ago)

Huh, I didn't know that about Polly. But you're right:

Margaret become Maggie, which become Meggie, which was shortened to Meg. Many people likes to rhyme nicknames (like Andy-Pandy), and so Peg was born. (Polly is usually a nn for Mary. Probably someone was called Molly-Polly or something like that.)

(from here)

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 23 February 2006 23:06 (nineteen years ago)

I should probably add that my surname is, ahem, Banks

i would def. go with Robin, then.

― killy (baby lenin pin), Thursday, 23 February 2006 23:12 (nineteen years ago)

Oh yeah, I kind of mentally skipped over the "Meg" connection. It's in there -- thanks Jay!

― Laurel (Laurel), Thursday, 23 February 2006 23:13 (nineteen years ago)

Margaret means 'pearl'.

― M. White (Miguelito), Thursday, 23 February 2006 23:15 (nineteen years ago)

Thank you for the research, j - I too wondered about that.

So Quinn can be a boy's name and a girl's name! That's exciting.

Totally name him/her Robi/yn. It's a good name. And even if your last name weren't banks, the kid's still going to be called that - there's not much to do with Robi/yn, but that's one thing - yet it's so silly that I always gave them a wtf look and laughed. Everyone wins!

― rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Thursday, 23 February 2006 23:15 (nineteen years ago)

Does anyone like the name "Sennet" for either sex? A sennet is a little flutey melody they used in the medieval courts (I think), I heard it when researching Henry V and thought it would a cute little name. Shame it would never go with my surname.

Any opinions?

― JTS (JTS), Thursday, 23 February 2006 23:25 (nineteen years ago)

Hmmm. Too close to rennet and innit for me.

― M. White (Miguelito), Thursday, 23 February 2006 23:30 (nineteen years ago)

I like the names Alesteir, Tristan, Gabriel for boys.
Tanya for a girl but it sounds kinda trashy, like they'd end up working at a Denny's on graveyard forever. Same problem with Sally, a name I also love. I knew a girl named Ominae which I quite liked.

I knew a guy named Doug Smith whose middle name was ZEBULON. I didn't believe him until he showed me his drivers' license.

I think it's important to choose a name that can work well with any surname, esp. if it's a girl.

― Abbott (Abbott), Thursday, 23 February 2006 23:36 (nineteen years ago)

Oh god, rennet! Bye bye Sennet!

Speaking of the medieval period, I love all the clunky medieval names like Malkin (the widow in the Nun's Priest's Tale), Blanchet, Avace, Dionisia, but naming a kid one of these is borderline sadism.

― JTS (JTS), Thursday, 23 February 2006 23:44 (nineteen years ago)

How about Allegro as a name? I like it.

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Thursday, 2 March 2006 03:10 (nineteen years ago)

i once dated a guy who wanted to name a daughter aria, but as i was a voice major at the time, i decided it would never work between us because there was NO way in hell i'd be a singer with a kid named aria.

― tehresa (tehresa), Thursday, 2 March 2006 04:52 (nineteen years ago)

More random boy's names please!

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 8 March 2006 16:37 (nineteen years ago)

bobby, jimmy, andy, ronny, buddy, joey, christopher

― Q _ _ n n (baby lenin pin), Thursday, 9 March 2006 01:49 (nineteen years ago)

"What do people think of Peggy?"

Well, my friend in university was named Peggy. Craziest girl I ever met. She sent me a card last year begging to restart our friendship. Uh no, thanks.

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 9 March 2006 08:06 (nineteen years ago)

Well for girls I like Ashton, Allirah, Krystal, Hayley, Tahlia, Ava, Paige, Marika, Elle, Tasha, Alicia, Yasmin, Danika, Dana, Chelsea, Clea, Trista, Jodie, Tara, Fiona, Phagen, Finley and Rhyley.

― Wibba, Thursday, 9 March 2006 08:12 (nineteen years ago)

PHAGEN?!

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 9 March 2006 17:26 (nineteen years ago)

boy: henry
girls: zoe, frances, elizabeth

― sunny successor (katharine), Thursday, 9 March 2006 17:28 (nineteen years ago)

Peggy = "Youw're a MITCHELL!"

― JTS (JTS), Thursday, 9 March 2006 17:33 (nineteen years ago)

Rhyley?

― Allyzay Rofflesberger (allyzay), Thursday, 9 March 2006 17:35 (nineteen years ago)

Why would you name any boy Rhyley when you could name them Riley? Is someone taking spelling cues from Tolkein?

― elmo, patron saint of nausea (allocryptic), Thursday, 9 March 2006 17:44 (nineteen years ago)

Oh wait, Rhyley as a GIRL'S name? WTF.

― elmo, patron saint of nausea (allocryptic), Thursday, 9 March 2006 17:49 (nineteen years ago)

total future cheerleader's name

― sunny successor (katharine), Thursday, 9 March 2006 18:01 (nineteen years ago)

Ashton, Allirah, Krystal, Hayley, Tahlia, Ava, Paige, Marika, Elle, Tasha, Alicia, Yasmin, Danika, Dana, Chelsea, Clea, Trista, Jodie, Tara, Fiona, Phagen, Finley and Rhyley.

This is actually the most stunningly awful list of names I've ever seen. It's like, the ones that are actually ok or even NICE are being totally engulfed by "Allirah" and "Rhyley" and "Phagen"

― Allyzay Rofflesberger (allyzay), Thursday, 9 March 2006 21:25 (nineteen years ago)

It is not a good sign when your daughter's name makes me think of some unholy union between the Phillie Phanatic and an unsavory Dickensian pickpocket.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 9 March 2006 21:31 (nineteen years ago)

Phagen has given me the first good laugh of the day.

― My Psychic Friends Are Strangely Silent (Ex Leon), Thursday, 9 March 2006 21:55 (nineteen years ago)

I can't wait to see what my sister-in-law names her new baby...she goes after the trashy and trendy names so I would put good money on her naming the baby Ashton.

― My Psychic Friends Are Strangely Silent (Ex Leon), Thursday, 9 March 2006 21:56 (nineteen years ago)

ashton

― teeny (teeny), Friday, 10 March 2006 00:14 (nineteen years ago)

OMG TEENY THERE ARE ARTICLES ON THAT SITE DISCUSSING BABY-NAME TRENDS?!?! I LOVE YOU!

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 10 March 2006 00:17 (nineteen years ago)

Three of my friends have had babies in the last six months. One named her son "Freddie" -- not "Frederick" or "Fred," but "Freddie," -- another named her daughter "Alexandra," and the most recent named her daughter "Emory Hope." All over the map, there.

― phil d. (Phil D.), Friday, 10 March 2006 00:23 (nineteen years ago)

Now I'm laughing at "Clea"

― Allyzay Rofflesberger (allyzay), Friday, 10 March 2006 00:56 (nineteen years ago)

My friends Hans and Kathy named their new wee one Tess, which is a fine name for her.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 10 March 2006 01:07 (nineteen years ago)

how about Oscar or Desmond?

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 10 March 2006 05:39 (nineteen years ago)

for boys.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 10 March 2006 05:40 (nineteen years ago)

Hey Fritz, why not girls as well? Equal opportunity and all that shit. ;-)

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Friday, 10 March 2006 08:49 (nineteen years ago)

There is a huge trend right now for middle-class white thirtysomethings to give their kids names reminiscent of old Jamaican men called Winston, but I hate the ones who name their girls Lola or Lala or Leila more than I hate the ones who choose names like Apple!

My uncle's young daughters are called Lysa and Juel. I really hate both of those names; their mum is soooo NOTD.

Best name of any small child on the planet: my friend's kid is B3114 W!1d ¥0ung. The second and last names constitute the surname. No hyphen.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 10 March 2006 09:28 (nineteen years ago)

I quite like Henry, but only cos I'd get to call them Hank the whole time.

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 10 March 2006 09:34 (nineteen years ago)

If babe #2 (if there is a babe #2) is a boy, we'll be struggling as we genuinely can't agree on any male names. The night before Ava was born (we still didn't know the sex) we plumped for "Chet" if it was a boy...I was so relieved at the lack of a penis.

Like Suzy, I'm a little suspicious of the echolalic female names, though we were keen on them for a while. They seem a bit wilfully infantile - great when she's padding around in her heart dungarees with her hair in bunches, not so great when she's taking her GCSEs. Lala is a Slavic word for "tulip", dontchaknow. Might have to go for another palindrome though.

As with Ava, we'd like to use a grandmother's maiden name as a middle name (last time: Galvin, this time: Lewis). So, er...Morse? Collin(s)? Sheri?

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Friday, 10 March 2006 10:57 (nineteen years ago)

Is El1jah Brown a cool name or a bit 70s pimp (or possibly both)?

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 10 March 2006 11:06 (nineteen years ago)

Both!

Male palindromes: Otto, Ollo, Bob, Lol, Nitin, Pip, Dud (maybe not), Idi (ditto), Rener.
Female: Eve, Elle, Ana, Anna, Mim, Nan, Lil, Imi(?), Hannah.

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 10 March 2006 11:39 (nineteen years ago)

Ha! I wasn't thinking so much of male palindromes but "Otto" did come up early on and was laughed out of court by me. It conjured up Gert Fröbe blustering about, his voice slightly out of sync with his lips.

I've always loved "Hannah". It's not getting much support from the missus though.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Friday, 10 March 2006 11:52 (nineteen years ago)

There have been a lot of Hannahs recently born amongst the gentrifying parents of South London. Maybe that's it. I just hate all babytalk girlie names and most nouvel-American names for boys are gross. Also I am very particular about names. If there were a board game where all these bad names started at GO and you'd have to land all the names on the appropriate soccer mom to win, that would work for me.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 10 March 2006 12:00 (nineteen years ago)

There have been a lot of Hannahs recently born amongst the gentrifying parents of South London.

It's about the most common name amongst *my* (gentrified/bourgeois) female friends so clearly this has been happening for at least 30 years.

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 10 March 2006 12:02 (nineteen years ago)

I think there's a serious dearth of half-decent boys names. We're really scratching our heads over boy number two cos, duh, we blew our two favourites on boy number one (William and Felix). Any all our 4 nephews have had most of the other decent ones between them. I don't really like anything much that's left and I might be forced to start inventing...

Otto is horrid, but Pip is good! Short for Philip though eh? which I don't much favour.

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 10 March 2006 12:12 (nineteen years ago)

There have been a lot of Hannahs recently born amongst the gentrifying parents of South London.

Hmmm... I've liked that name since I was a kid in a tin-bath Wallasey docks terrace but, hey, even future gentrifiers have to start somewhere. (And gentrifying Crystal Palace would have to count as REgentrifying considering what it was like 120 years ago). But I know what you mean.

Ava's neighbourhood contemporaries (or at least those who attended those early baby classes at the community centre, which is a socially broad, racially narrow subgroup of its own, I guess): Finlay (x2), Harry, Luke, Ruby, Dominick, Calumn, Asha.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Friday, 10 March 2006 12:29 (nineteen years ago)

I hate the ones who name their girls Lola or Lala or Leila more than I hate the ones who choose names like Apple!

I quite liked Lola until I saw some mother call her daughter "Lola." It just seemed so... wrong.

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Friday, 10 March 2006 12:46 (nineteen years ago)

I like otto

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 10 March 2006 12:49 (nineteen years ago)

I thought you might.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Friday, 10 March 2006 12:55 (nineteen years ago)

haha

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 10 March 2006 12:56 (nineteen years ago)

Nick, couldn't you just reverse the order of the names for boy number two?

Otto does sound disturbingly... fascist.

All the names I like have been instantly thrown out by Matt as too middle-class, or else they belong to exes of one of us, or sound idotic combined with 'Holland': Rose, Eliza, Jamie, Will, Rebecca, Esther, Molly, Laurel...

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 10 March 2006 13:19 (nineteen years ago)

Elspeth.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 10 March 2006 13:28 (nineteen years ago)

I like Elspeth because of Elspeth Barker, but I don't think I could ever give it to a child. Sometimes I think I'll just name all my kids after Cold Comfort Farm characters: Flora, Seth, Reuben, Elfine. (Perhaps not Urk and Rennet though.)

Names to guarantee underachievement: Branwell, Esau.

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 10 March 2006 13:41 (nineteen years ago)

How about Eleanor, Archel?

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 10 March 2006 13:44 (nineteen years ago)

We do like Seth... but what to do if your child has a lisp?

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 10 March 2006 14:00 (nineteen years ago)

No way would that get past Matt's radar :)
I do seem to like 'E' names though. When I was about 8 I would only answer to 'Ebony'.

I know someone called Seph.

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 10 March 2006 14:03 (nineteen years ago)

feel free to pilfer from our shortlist of boys' names that didn't make the cut: William, Calvin (the only other two that were real possibilities), Martin, Norman (halfheartedly vetoed by the mr), Hadrian, Nero (guess whose daddy has a latin degree?). Maybe there were others. Boys' names are tough.

― teeny (teeny), Friday, 10 March 2006 14:03 (nineteen years ago)

Lots of Eleanors in the playground, four letters why: LOTR. 'Holland' is also the surname taken by Oscar Wilde's wife and family post-'somdomite' - he had a son called Vyvyan.
But somehow riffing on that is very Brighton.

As a lovely bit of coincidence, my college mag came today. Let's see what the world's most bourgeois bohemians are calling their kids:

mum's name/kids' names

Silka/Esme, Lola
Lysa/Anika
Miriam/Ella Rose
Nichola/Emelia
Chiara/Julian
Alix/Sophia
Anne/Jieling, Dengling (adopted Chinese sisters)
Christine/Michaela Rose
Elin/Guthrie, Harper Ursula
Cathy/Ephrem Zenon Blue
Laura/Julie
Catherine/Shannon (boy)
Anitra/Iris
Amanda/Halcyon
Thea/another Esme
Jenna/Jack
Anna/Caroline Emily
Sasha/Oliver

And that's just in the classes between '88 and '92.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 10 March 2006 14:09 (nineteen years ago)

Marcus

― Nutsy the Squirrel (pullapartgirl), Friday, 10 March 2006 14:11 (nineteen years ago)

Halcyon? Even worse that I could have predicted. As Matt has a middle name beginning with Z I won't comment on Zenon.

I quite like Iris.

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 10 March 2006 14:34 (nineteen years ago)

Zenon is weird! That whole name makes me think that maybe it's a racehorse? Should it not be spelt with an X though?

Archel: is it Zorro?

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 10 March 2006 14:42 (nineteen years ago)

No!

Hehe Guthrie and Harper are simply groaning with trendy worthiness.

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 10 March 2006 14:45 (nineteen years ago)

I knew everyone would jump on that one - you'd all be right to. The woman who named her 'child' Halcyon (she did not denote gender) is a bestselling historian who thinks she's Antonia fucking Fraser for C21. At uni she was one of those people who condescended to people who liked any kind of popular music - as if it made her any more of an intellectual to do so. Nice brother, though.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 10 March 2006 14:45 (nineteen years ago)

Zeus?

Zebedee?

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Friday, 10 March 2006 14:47 (nineteen years ago)

I can't wait until trendy parents start cribbing from anatomy textbooks and start naming their children Falangie, Tybia, or Cloaca.

― elmo, patron saint of nausea (allocryptic), Friday, 10 March 2006 14:47 (nineteen years ago)

I am still boggling over Halcyon. If it is a boy I guess it could work out okay for him because people could call him Hal, but still...

― My Psychic Friends Are Strangely Silent (Ex Leon), Friday, 10 March 2006 14:51 (nineteen years ago)

Can't make my mind up about Harper...it brings to mind Alan, gormless-looking but actually rather good Everton* utility player of the mid-80s, and Roy. And Lee, obv.

(* - for this reason, Kendall and Bing(ham) are still in play).

Iris, I like - 2nd choice to Ava last year, I think. Not palindromic, but it is Siri backwards, which is OK too. Ever noticed that Hustvedt novels are Murdoch plots backwards? Me neither.

Halcyon - maybe Suzy's old chum Amanda condenscendingly went to a rave and had a moment of revelation to Orbital.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Friday, 10 March 2006 15:20 (nineteen years ago)

Someone I know has just changed her name to Harper. I have no idea why though.

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 10 March 2006 15:23 (nineteen years ago)

Champkin
Percival

― RoxyMuzak© (roxymuzak), Friday, 10 March 2006 15:23 (nineteen years ago)

Michael, this is the woman who wrote that big book about Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. SHE WENT TO NO RAVES EVER. I really, really would love to tell this neurotic silly bitch that her child has been named after MEDS. Like is its middle name Ativan?

Siri Hustvedt often has characters called Iris in her books.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 10 March 2006 15:25 (nineteen years ago)

I've always liked, for girls: Roxanne/Roxy (obv), Katherine Elizabeth. For boys: Jonathan Paul, I like Aaron, Adam and Ian, too.

― RoxyMuzak© (roxymuzak), Friday, 10 March 2006 15:26 (nineteen years ago)

I like Aaron, Adam and Ian, too.

Too ilx.

― My Psychic Friends Are Strangely Silent (Ex Leon), Friday, 10 March 2006 15:31 (nineteen years ago)

Michael, this is the woman who wrote that big book about Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.

She sounds like a serial Vicks abuser to me. Oh, it's *that* Amanda. Georgiana F0r3m4n. Heh-heh. Lean, mean, grinning machine.

I really like the name Arantxa but PJM would think I was weird.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Friday, 10 March 2006 15:35 (nineteen years ago)

i still like zelda.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 10 March 2006 15:43 (nineteen years ago)

omg! this has reminded me that I also like the name Alex.


Maybe all this is the reason I was attarcted to ILX in the first place?

― RoxyMuzak© (roxymuzak), Friday, 10 March 2006 15:46 (nineteen years ago)

I would like to apologize for my typing today.

― RoxyMuzak© (roxymuzak), Friday, 10 March 2006 15:46 (nineteen years ago)

im going to have twins named 'classic' and 'dud' and each night i will sit them down at the dinner table and express my current level of love for each twin on a scale of 0-10 followed by C or D reasoning, which will result in a final T/S verdict. i predict dud will rob a minimart by age 17 and classic will take residence at silver hill for rampant ritalin and cocaine addiction at age 37.

i really hate grizzly old men names for babies like 'oscar'.

― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 10 March 2006 15:57 (nineteen years ago)

I like that! All grizzly old men are babies once.

― RoxyMuzak© (roxymuzak), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:00 (nineteen years ago)

I love Desmond for a boy although I think I'm committed to Austin. A girl would be named after my grandmother and aunt. no trends here.

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:02 (nineteen years ago)

Good test for baby names: try standing in the street and yelling it, and if you feel foolish, into the big bin of NOES it goes. I thought I liked 'Tabitha' until I heard a mum shout it at its poor innocent owner.

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:02 (nineteen years ago)

i like tabitha. not only is it the kid from bewitcheds name but you can call her 'tabby' then 'tabby-cat' then 'catty' then 'kitty' etc etc

― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:06 (nineteen years ago)

poor kid. ;)

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:10 (nineteen years ago)

I like Emily as well come to think of it. But Emily Holland might be too many llllls?

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:25 (nineteen years ago)

Emily Holland has a nice ring to it, though.

For a second, I thought about googleproofing your unborn child.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:27 (nineteen years ago)

Me too!

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:34 (nineteen years ago)

bah. oscar is a great name for a kid.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:47 (nineteen years ago)

what, you don't like desmond now that I said I liked it too?

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

no no, just responding to the oscar-bashing above

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:51 (nineteen years ago)

ah missed that. worries that the other kids will ask if he lives in a garbage can?

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:52 (nineteen years ago)

adversity builds character. he should just be glad i don't name him Sue.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 10 March 2006 16:54 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah well never be called Susan and turn up to your first day of school with a baldy chemo head while song is in either the charts or general use.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 10 March 2006 17:42 (nineteen years ago)

oscar sucks. give the kid some dignity. simon too. simon really sucks.

― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 10 March 2006 17:51 (nineteen years ago)

kids suck

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Friday, 10 March 2006 17:53 (nineteen years ago)

oscar sucks. give the kid some dignity.

this coming from someone who thinks calling a kid tabitha/kitty-cat is a good idea. fuck you.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 10 March 2006 18:05 (nineteen years ago)

for real

― RoxyMuzak© (roxymuzak), Friday, 10 March 2006 18:31 (nineteen years ago)

you guys get really upset about names

― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 10 March 2006 18:35 (nineteen years ago)

Oscar is a fabulous name. Maybe that's the real problem here.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 10 March 2006 18:38 (nineteen years ago)

for real

― RoxyMuzak© (roxymuzak), Friday, 10 March 2006 18:38 (nineteen years ago)

I nearly named my son Oscar, then opted for Sebastian.

― p.j. (Henry), Friday, 10 March 2006 19:33 (nineteen years ago)

why not henry II?

― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 10 March 2006 19:47 (nineteen years ago)

I'm liking Montgomery.

― My Psychic Friends Are Strangely Silent (Ex Leon), Friday, 10 March 2006 19:52 (nineteen years ago)

i like these
-------------------------------------
girls:
-------------------------------------
taylor
leila
tigerlilly
-------------------------------------
boys:
-------------------------------------
rafiel (not sure how that ones spelt)
sam
austin
-------------------------------------
also for girls i like boys names. i no
that sounds weird but where all equals
and i think those names spell a point.
-------------------------------------
eg:
harry
charlie
peter
ect ect
--------------------------------------
my sisters friend (now she hates her)
named her kid abbeys pastreys medwin
because she owned a bakeiry. when she got
old enough she changed her name to
madison minogue and tells every one she related
to kyle and she realy cool. (what a nut job faimily!)

― blanky mcblank, Tuesday, 14 March 2006 06:19 (nineteen years ago)

hey! dont bag the name jack!
jack feild was my fake boyfriends name when i was 19, lonely and a virgin lol

― blanky mcblank, Tuesday, 14 March 2006 06:27 (nineteen years ago)

oscar.
i dont no if i should say
MEOW
or
GET BACK IN YOUR BIN YOU BIG GREEN SOD

― BLANKY MC BLANK, Tuesday, 14 March 2006 06:30 (nineteen years ago)

any 1 here?

― blanky mc blank, Tuesday, 14 March 2006 06:31 (nineteen years ago)

It's spelled Rafael.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 06:40 (nineteen years ago)

Montgomery is such a great name! I'm not sure I could say "Monty" with a straight face though. How about Ray for a boy? Another other Hollywood leading men type names?

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 22:13 (nineteen years ago)

Clark?

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 22:18 (nineteen years ago)

I keep suggesting Clark for a hypothetical baby's name because it sounds hilarious with this last name.

― My Psychic Friends Are Strangely Silent (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 22:28 (nineteen years ago)

Ingrid

― JTS (JTS), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 22:38 (nineteen years ago)

Not a Hollywood leading men type name, obviously

― JTS (JTS), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 22:39 (nineteen years ago)

Ha ha Clark, but it also has vestiges of Clark Kent.

Seriously, this woman who came to my story time had two little kids,twins, a boy and a girl, in a stroller, and she said, "This is Nick and Nora."

I really, really wanted to ask, "Like the movie?" but was afraid to ask; obviously, yes, of course it was, and it didn't need to be stated.

Kids were adorable by the way. What if you named your kids some glam Hollywood names and they turned out not be to be up to the challenge.

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 22:43 (nineteen years ago)

Biblical names are fun. Angels, like Rafael. Or my most favorite...Gideon. (can be called Giddy as a child, which works well with the childlike behaviour)
Zebulon is good.
Archel, have I missed something? Are you preggers?
For girls: PLEASE no more Ruby's.
Everything in my family is based on honoring the past. I think I have posted this before, but here goes.
Alan Cameron
Douglas Robertson
George Stewart (known as Stewart)
Alison Isobel
And if I was a boy, I would have been
Ian Mackenzie.
I was named after my grandmothers - Alice and Isabella.Voila! Alison Isobel.
And now that a new generation is entering the world we have:
Augustus John (known as Gus, or, "Captain Gus")(He's five years old)
Sophie Cameron and
Alice Kinsley
So..there's a way to find good names from your family!
I kind of like my name -Alison- it's not too unusual, but stands out amongst names.
My partner is named Kevin. his brothers are John and James. His father was John, his uncle was James, (both are deceased) and all of the sons and cousins are named John, James, Thomas, or, sometimes, Kevin. His mother's name is Mary. His aunt is also named Mary. (I shouldn't bitch- I have three aunt Mary's myself). His other aunt, on his father's side, is Kathleen. But there is also a niece named Kathleen on his mother's side. And a cousin Kathy.
His uncle Tommy married Kathleen, who was John's sister (Kevin's father). John (Kevin's father) married Mary, aka Tommy's sister. Not aunt Mary, who is Kevin's fathers sister, because that would have been weird. But Mary who is Tommy's sister.
In a double wedding.
And the rest of the extended family is "cousin Tommy, cousin John, cousin Jimmy, cousin Kathy, cousin Mary"
My point being...I wish I could insert a Lashonda or Rafael or Mohammed into this whole thing. Just to make it easier to know who the fuck I'm talking to at family gatherings!
Kevin's grandma's name was Johanna - I like that name. But I'm not planning to name anything anytime soon.

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 23:51 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...
U.S. baby names list for 2005 is now available.

Below are the top 25 for boys and girls (parentheses = 2004 rank). I'll probably be looking at this data more closely in the next few days, but I'd like to point out a couple things. As usual, there are no drastic moves on the boys' list, but on the girls' list, we see Ava shooting into the top 10 (from #25 to #9) and Mia ascending into the top 20 (from #30 to #17). Also, Jonathan moves closer to John than it ever has -- it's a difference of about 1,300 kids, and I wouldn't be surprised if the former overtook the latter in the next couple of years.

GIRLS
1. Emily (1)
2. Emma (2)
3. Madison (3)
4. Abigail (6)
5. Olivia (4)
6. Isabella (7)
7. Hannah (5)
8. Samantha (9)
9. Ava (25)
10. Ashley (8)
11. Sophia (15)
12. Elizabeth (10)
13. Alexis (11)
14. Grace (13)
15. Sarah (12)
16. Alyssa (14)
17. Mia (30)
18. Natalie (19)
19. Chloe (23)
20. Brianna (17)
21. Lauren (16)
22. Ella (29)
23. Anna (20)
24. Taylor (22)
25. Kayla (18)

BOYS
1. Jacob (1)
2. Michael (2)
3. Joshua (3)
4. Matthew (4)
5. Ethan (5)
6. Andrew (6)
7. Daniel (7)
8. Anthony (11)
9. Christopher (10)
10. Joseph (9)
11. William (8)
12. Alexander (15)
13. Ryan (12)
14. David (14)
15. Nicholas (13)
16. Tyler (16)
17. James (17)
18. John (18)
19. Jonathan (21)
20. Nathan (20)
21. Samuel (23)
22. Christian (24)
23. Noah (29)
24. Dylan (19)
25. Benjamin (25)

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 May 2006 14:45 (nineteen years ago)

Baby Name Wizard also reports that there was an uptick in babies named Katrina last year!

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 May 2006 14:48 (nineteen years ago)

Hmmm.

I always feel sorry for girls names Kayla or Kaylee, it's like the post-millenial Brandine.

― The Mercury Krueger (Ex Leon), Monday, 15 May 2006 16:24 (nineteen years ago)

Mia ascending into the top 20 (from #30 to #17).

M.I.A. HAS WON HEARTS AND MINDS

― jinx hijinks (sanskrit), Monday, 15 May 2006 16:26 (nineteen years ago)

it seems there are a lot more sensible girls names there then there were a few years ago (but i don't know the trends, just what i glean from life.) Perhaps what i mean is that i like more of those names and dislike a lot of the names kids have who are btwn the ages of, oh, 6 and 16 now. Trends - weird!

― rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Monday, 15 May 2006 16:45 (nineteen years ago)

What that appears to mean is that people your age are now having babies, and they have similar taste to yours in baby names.

I know a couple of new babies named Grace and one Dylan.

― The Milkmaid (82375538-A) (The Milkmaid), Monday, 15 May 2006 16:47 (nineteen years ago)

Robyn -- for reference, here's the top 25 of 1995:

1 Jessica
2 Ashley
3 Emily
4 Samantha
5 Sarah
6 Taylor
7 Hannah
8 Brittany
9 Amanda
10 Elizabeth
11 Kayla
12 Rachel
13 Megan
14 Alexis
15 Lauren
16 Stephanie
17 Courtney
18 Jennifer
19 Nicole
20 Victoria
21 Brianna
22 Amber
23 Morgan
24 Danielle
25 Jasmine

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 May 2006 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

Ooh, this gives me an idea for a study...

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 May 2006 16:50 (nineteen years ago)

yeah yeah, i know... the realities! babies everywhere! hivemind generational action! (but still, weird how it works in cycles. like a lot of those seem like 1920s/30s names, or names adults had in the 20s/30s. so why those names now? interesting.)
xpost
EXACTLY

― rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Monday, 15 May 2006 16:50 (nineteen years ago)

hahaha, i was also going to say 'jaymc can do the study on this'

― rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Monday, 15 May 2006 16:51 (nineteen years ago)

rrobyn, I bet it's because people tend to name their kids after their grandparents (who were born during the 20s/30s).

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Monday, 15 May 2006 17:12 (nineteen years ago)

ah! yes!
plus the hivemind thing. plus the alignment of the stars&planets. plus babyname calculators.

(you chicago people are on the ball about this! and other things, of course.)

― rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Monday, 15 May 2006 17:18 (nineteen years ago)

OK. There are 14 names on the 1995 list that are not on the 2005 list.

Of these names, half were among the top 1000 names at some point in the 19th century (Jessica, Amanda, Rachel, Stephanie, Courtney, Victoria, Amber) -- although none were ever any higher than #87 (Amanda in 1881). Before World War II, Jessica, Courtney, and Amber never even made it into the top 500, and each fell out of the top 1000 at some point.

The other half were relatively new names (first appearance in top 1000 in parentheses):

Danielle (1938)
Jennifer (1938)
Nicole (1942)
Megan (1952)
Brittany (1971)
Jasmine (1973)
Morgan (1976)

On the other hand, among the 14 names on the 2005 list that weren't on the 1995 list, only three are "new" names:

Alyssa (1963)
Mia (1964)
Madison (1985)

The rest all existed in the 19th century, all were within the top 500 at that time, and four names could even be considered very popular: Emma (#3 in 1880-86), Grace (#13 in 1883-84, 1890), Ella (#13 in 1880-81), and Anna (#2 in 1880-99).

Some 2005 names might as well be "new" considering how long they were out of the top 1000 entirely: Isabella was absent from 1949-89 and Chloe from 1944-81. And since Emma's lowest point was in 1978 (#460) and Grace's nadir was in 1977 (#397), my guess is that the popularity
of these names stems partially from them seeming exotic to parents born in the 1970s.

But it also seems obvious, in connection with Robyn's and Sarah's points, that today's parents are reaching back to traditional names -- the names of their grandparents and great-grandparents -- rather than totally new ones.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 May 2006 18:01 (nineteen years ago)

(By the way, statistics only go back to 1880.)

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 May 2006 18:05 (nineteen years ago)

A more concise way to present this, perhaps, would be to show, for 1995 vs. 2005, the peak position of each name pre-1945:

1995
Amanda 87
Rachel 109
Victoria 134
Jennifer 262
Jessica 573
Amber 583
Danielle 740
Courtney 754
Nicole 826
Britanny n/a
Megan n/a
Stephanie n/a
Morgan n/a
Jasmine n/a

2005
Anna 2
Emma 3
Grace 13
Ella 13
Sophia 116
Olivia 215
Isabella 215
Natalie 238
Chloe 301
Ava 331
Abigail 492
Madison n/a
Alyssa n/a
Mia n/a

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 May 2006 18:23 (nineteen years ago)

Oops: Stephanie's pre-1945 peak was #221. All other data should be correct.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 May 2006 18:31 (nineteen years ago)

(Both Stephanie and Jennifer were on the upsurge right around 1945.)

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 May 2006 18:32 (nineteen years ago)

Since traditional names are supposed to be trendy, why isn't Mary more popular? Religious overtones?

― The Mercury Krueger (Ex Leon), Monday, 15 May 2006 18:41 (nineteen years ago)

17 Courtney
18 Jennifer

14 Alexis
15 Lauren

hmm

1 Jessica
2 Ashley
8 Brittany
22 Amber

*bangs head on table*

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 15 May 2006 18:45 (nineteen years ago)

Nicole, I think the crucial part is that the new wave of names is not just traditional but old-fashioned to the point where they were once quite unfashionable. Mary was either #1 or #2 from 1880-1965 and has only slipped out of the top 50 this decade.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 May 2006 18:53 (nineteen years ago)

Whereas, for instance, Grace was at its lowest point (below #250) from roughly 1966-82 -- in other words, right around when most of today's parents were born (23-to-39-year-olds). The absence of the name Grace among their peers makes it seem like an old-fashioned choice.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 May 2006 19:02 (nineteen years ago)

Ahh but Lauren endures.

― Laurel (Laurel), Monday, 15 May 2006 19:09 (nineteen years ago)

Watch out, you're (#787) about ready to drop out of the top 1000.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 May 2006 19:14 (nineteen years ago)

Vaughn is a nice middle name.

― youn (youn), Monday, 15 May 2006 23:06 (nineteen years ago)

But I have absolutely no interest in staying in the top 1000! The more singular, the better, as far as I'm concerned.

― Laurel (Laurel), Monday, 15 May 2006 23:08 (nineteen years ago)

And I'm happy for you. Renee and Krista were also pleased that their names are on the way down.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 16 May 2006 05:12 (nineteen years ago)

And if it's a boy, will it be Lleh?

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 18 May 2006 14:42 (nineteen years ago)

The most maddening part of that article is that it says that Navaeh's entry in 2001 was the "third-highest debut" without saying what the first two are. Inquiring minds, etc.

...

Actually: as I suspected, one of them is Aaliyah (debuted at #202 in 1994).

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:09 (nineteen years ago)

Not sure if Alondra counts. It rose from not being on the list at all in 1994 to coming in at #237 in 1995 -- but it had made a brief appearance at #971 in 1993, so its 1995 placement isn't technically a debut.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:12 (nineteen years ago)

Also interesting (or not -- I know nobody cares about this thread except for me): Kanye registered the biggest-ever fall for boys' names this past year, from its debut in 2004 at #488 to barely on the list in 2005 at #889.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:15 (nineteen years ago)

Classic names: Hermes, Ionia, Thales, Menerva.

Sexy. Hot. Unique.

― Fluffy Bear (Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:17 (nineteen years ago)

Clytemnestra. Euripides. Agamemnon. FUN WITH CLASSICAL GREEK.

― Laurel (Laurel), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:22 (nineteen years ago)

Who knew that we were riding a surge of popularity when we chose "Ava"? We must've picked it up in the babyether. It's funny how many people say "How unusual!" when we tell them her name considering it's such a hot mover in the hit parade.

I only really like four others in the 2005 US girls' list (surprise, surprise, it's the ones that can be associated with old movie stars/singers and, er...Hannah Gordon). I'm not that keen on any of the boys' names.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:23 (nineteen years ago)

Just came across this...

Top 10 names in the England & Wales in 2005 (with their standing in the USA):

Boys:
1. Jack (34)
2. Joshua (3)
3. Thomas (40)
4. James (17)
5. Oliver (209)
6. Daniel (7)
7. Samuel (21)
8. William (11)
9. Harry (526)
10. Joseph (10)

Girls:
1. Jessica (27)
2. Emily (1)
3. Sophie (134)
4. Olivia (5)
5. Chloe (19)
6. Ellie (183)
7. Grace (14)
8. Lucy (174)
9. Charlotte (135)
10. Katie (100)

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:35 (nineteen years ago)

Curious that British parents prefer Sophie, while their American counterparts go with Sophia.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:36 (nineteen years ago)

True but the US parents are probably calling their little Sophias "Soph" on a regular basis. Might have more to do with the nickname/non-nickname tendencies of US vs UK.

― Laurel (Laurel), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:41 (nineteen years ago)

Could you expand on that? Are you saying American parents are more likely to give their kids full names on the birth certificate but then resort to nicknames, whereas the British parents are more likely to just use the nicknames to begin with?

This would certainly explain the popularity in the UK of Harry and Katie. I mean, I know loads of Katies but can't think of any who aren't actually Katherines or Catherines or Kathryns or Kathleens, etc.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:45 (nineteen years ago)

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Based also partly on my anecdotal experience that when British parents GIVE full names, they tend to use them. My friend C4roline's mother was British and would occasionally call her "C" but never shortened it to "Car" or "Cara" or anything else. Same went for her brother, R1chard.

― Laurel (Laurel), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:49 (nineteen years ago)

The surge of Nevaeh can be traced to a single event: the appearance of a Christian rock star, Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D., on MTV in 2000 with his baby daughter, Nevaeh. "Heaven spelled backwards," he said.

That seems like an obscure incident to have caused such a rise in popularity of a name.

― The Mercury Krueger (Ex Leon), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)

Isis - for a girl

Horus, Seth, Wilbur, Kit - for a boy

Though Gwyn is still high on my list.

Fuck Gwen Stephanay-or-however-it's-spelt she's ruined a perfectly good first name.

― Rumpsy Pumpsy (Rumpie), Thursday, 18 May 2006 16:00 (nineteen years ago)

That seems like an obscure incident to have caused such a rise in popularity of a name.

In the grand scheme of things, Splash is a pretty obscure movie to have prompted what's currently the third-most popular girls' name in the U.S. -- but often what happens is a domino effect, wherein a few parents respond to an incident like that, and then other parents take notice of the name's emergence among other parents they know, even if they're not aware of the original incident.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 18 May 2006 16:05 (nineteen years ago)

Sol is nice too but people keep saying "What, like in Hollyoaks?" and I don't know what their fucking talking about.

― Rumpsy Pumpsy (Rumpie), Thursday, 18 May 2006 16:06 (nineteen years ago)

My preference is for one syllable names.

― Rumpsy Pumpsy (Rumpie), Thursday, 18 May 2006 16:07 (nineteen years ago)

hey rumpsy, lose the Gwyn, go with teh Quinn

― killy ii (baby lenin pin), Thursday, 18 May 2006 21:36 (nineteen years ago)

Quinn is #676 for girls and #303 for boys -- both names are trending up, although the boys name hasn't moved much in the last 10 years.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 18 May 2006 21:48 (nineteen years ago)

four months pass...
Since there are a few parents of toddlers on ILX, you may be interested in answering a few questions for an upcoming book about baby names. Your child must meet the requirements, though.

More info

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:08 (eighteen years ago)

(Obv. Alex in NYC qualifies -- not sure about others.)

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:08 (eighteen years ago)

y'all should spill with yr fav girly names and none of that renaissance faire gothick crap PLEASE

― sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:16 (eighteen years ago)

Katarina or Katherine. Like Hepburn. And a hot medical student I worked with.

― milo z (mlp), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:17 (eighteen years ago)

hepburn spells it correctly: kathArine

― sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:18 (eighteen years ago)

ok, that too.

Audrey is also suitable.

― milo z (mlp), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:19 (eighteen years ago)

I was nearly called Katharine, but after Katharine Ross rather than Katharine Hepburn. Except that would have meant my name being, erm, Katharine Ross. So my parents changed their mind.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:24 (eighteen years ago)

Anita, Josephine, or Shaniqua.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:33 (eighteen years ago)

you like josephine???

― sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:36 (eighteen years ago)

haha someone else subscribes to the baby name wizard rss feed. :)

My early favorite for a girl's name was Beatrice.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:43 (eighteen years ago)

!!!

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:55 (eighteen years ago)

?

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 18:12 (eighteen years ago)

(That's on the list.)

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 18:22 (eighteen years ago)

haha someone else subscribes to the baby name wizard rss feed. :)

Well, of course.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 18:23 (eighteen years ago)

(That's on the list.)

Are you trying to tell us something?

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 18:24 (eighteen years ago)

i think Farrah is the best name ever!

― NOT sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 18:33 (eighteen years ago)

Oh wait, I haven't looked at the parenting thread in a while -- congrats!

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 18:34 (eighteen years ago)

i think Farrah is the best name ever!

I'll compromise with ya.

http://insurgentcountry.net/Jay%20Farrar%20-%20Blue%20Highways%202005%20small.jpg

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 18:42 (eighteen years ago)

hey does that mean you found out it's a girl then?

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 19:16 (eighteen years ago)

I have probably mentioned this before, but my test for girls' names is simply that you must be utterly unable to imagine the MC at a strip club calling them out.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 19:19 (eighteen years ago)

"Give it up for Beatrice on the main stage!"

― milo z (mlp), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 19:49 (eighteen years ago)

Ctrl-F tells me that the boy'n'girl names we're nervously juggling for babe #2 (due in a month - and, please, stay in there for the whole month) don't appear on this thread. I'm not telling you what they are.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 20:31 (eighteen years ago)

Beatrice is a LOVELY name! I was almost named DOLORES.

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 21:09 (eighteen years ago)

michael thinks we're going to steal his names

― sunny successor (katharine), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 01:54 (eighteen years ago)

Fox and Spider

― Hard like armour (Hard like armour), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 05:48 (eighteen years ago)

Steal or ridicule.

Hang about...STEEL or RIDDYKEWL. They're contenders.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 06:19 (eighteen years ago)

What about Clark? It seemed a good idea the other day, but I don't know why.

Based also partly on my anecdotal experience that when British parents GIVE full names, they tend to use them.

I think your anecdotal sample must be too small, really. Loads of people I know have full names that they are rarely know by. Like, err... me, for example. It's true that there's a recent trend towards giving names that were previously nicknames though. A friend called her baby Will and then there are all those Jacks.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 10:51 (eighteen years ago)

The only people who have ever called me Michael are my parents and one girl at school I used to fancy. Seeing myself referred to as "Michael" in here (by someone citing an earlier post of mine) elicits the same adolescent frisson she used to provoke. Cor!

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 11:23 (eighteen years ago)

Being addressed by girls with a rarely used full name always carries the ring of erotic encouragement.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 11:33 (eighteen years ago)

Calm down, Michael.

Teeny, yes, its a girly.

Alba, do you mean clark for a girl??

― sunny successor (katharine), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 11:58 (eighteen years ago)

No, not for a girl.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 12:08 (eighteen years ago)

Clark is one of those names that really depends on the last name to either make it or break it. Imagine a Clark Park.

― GILLY'S BAGG'EAR VANCE OF COUPARI (Ex Leon), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 12:10 (eighteen years ago)

Does "Amandine" sounds pretentious to everyone else?

― JTS (JTS), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 12:37 (eighteen years ago)

yes

― . . .and a soda on the side (Molly Jones), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 12:37 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, okay, I was basing the full-names thing on one (1) Caroline, one (1) Richard, and one (1) Cornelia. I'm pretty sure that's it.

JTS: It mostly sounds like a vegetable casserole. No go.

― Laurel (Laurel), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 12:40 (eighteen years ago)

I've known one American Caroline, and she went by Caroline.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 12:43 (eighteen years ago)

Hahah, Dan and I know the same American Caroline.

― Laurel (Laurel), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 12:49 (eighteen years ago)

I have known a couple of Carolyns, but no Caroline.

― GILLY'S BAGG'EAR VANCE OF COUPARI (Ex Leon), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 12:49 (eighteen years ago)

Caroline she's the reason for the word bitch. . .

― . . .and a soda on the side (Molly Jones), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 12:51 (eighteen years ago)

Could Cornelia have been shortened? To Corn?

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 17:46 (eighteen years ago)

To C. Or Nell, or Neely, or...I dunno, whatever! Stop over-examining my contributions.

― Laurel (Laurel), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 17:49 (eighteen years ago)

I was thinking about that, too. She could go as Corey. I once knew a female Corey whose full name was Coriander.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 17:50 (eighteen years ago)

I note that your first "or" is capitalized.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 17:53 (eighteen years ago)

I note that you are a JERKSTORE, and by the way, have you been gone/where have you been for a while?

― Laurel (Laurel), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 17:55 (eighteen years ago)

I don't know. My sister had a baby called Rosa.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 18:33 (eighteen years ago)

three months pass...
Ophelia, Solange

― youn (youn), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 03:57 (eighteen years ago)

No, No.

Solange? What a horrible name, isn't that Beyonce's sisters name? NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NONONONONO!

PS. NO!

― svend (svend), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 04:55 (eighteen years ago)

six months pass...

I never revived this thread for the release of the 2006 list in the U.S.

Not a whole lot of movement at the top -- the top three are the same for both sexes -- although Ava continues its remarkable ascent, inching into the top 5.

The biggest story is probably the rise, from #106 to #27, of Addison, which you can bet has a lot to do with Grey's Anatomy. And the fact that it sounds like Madison, which parents may still like but are getting a bit sick of.

Meanwhile, Nevaeh also keeps on keepin' on, up to #43.

What names do you like these days?

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 16:42 (seventeen years ago)

Sarah 5 years ago OTM re: Spike. Our second born was all set to be called this when she wrecked our plans by being a girl.

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 16:45 (seventeen years ago)

hystercine

― mark s, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 16:48 (seventeen years ago)

our baby name list at the moment looks something like this:

Veronica
Olympia
Ursula
Tallulah
Sondra/Sandra
Ruby

plus a bunch of others I can't remember right now. Names ending in the "uh" sound predominate.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 16:49 (seventeen years ago)

I love the name Ruby.

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 16:49 (seventeen years ago)

http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/susan/sf/tv/destiny.jpg

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 16:52 (seventeen years ago)

One of my husband's co-workers has a daughter named Katriana. I love that.

Ruby would be a gr8 name!

― Sara R-C, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 16:52 (seventeen years ago)

It's a toss-up between Magnus, Isaac or Stanley for a boy. I err on the side of Stanley. Mrs Coastaltown disagrees. I think we're settled on Bronwyn should the baby be a girl.

My habit of referring to the bump as "Dave" has already brought us close to divorce.

― Matt, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 16:59 (seventeen years ago)

Walter / Louise

― Jeff, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 17:07 (seventeen years ago)

Names ending in the "uh" sound predominate.

This is absolutely in keeping with current trends. Of 2006’s top 20 girls’ names, 11 end in “-a,” compared with only 3 in 1936.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 17:11 (seventeen years ago)

Although the actual names you're considering aren't all that popular themselves. Neither Olympia, Ursula, nor Tallulah are in the top 1000, Sandra is #364, Veronica is #211, and Ruby is #137.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 17:16 (seventeen years ago)

On the other hand, Ruby is on a slight upswing: it's higher now than it's been since 1950.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 17:17 (seventeen years ago)

I've got two (TWO) first cousins named Ruby.

― G00blar, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 17:19 (seventeen years ago)

what can I say, I'm a weirdo. I tend to latch onto names for their mythological/symbolic/historical/pop cultural value (for ex. Veronica = Macedonian form of Greek "Berenika" meaning "face of victory", Veronica Lake, Ronnie Spector, etc.)

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 17:20 (seventeen years ago)

I also give great thumbs up to Ruby.

― Ms Misery, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 17:21 (seventeen years ago)

I've always liked Veronica.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 17:23 (seventeen years ago)

I like Ivan too.

― Jeff, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 17:25 (seventeen years ago)

xpost And it goes well with your surname, too.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 17:28 (seventeen years ago)

I'm like Shakey; incapable of considering a name without its meaning.

― Michael White, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 17:28 (seventeen years ago)

Ivan = John, fwiw.

― Michael White, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 17:28 (seventeen years ago)

Farrah is clearly the best name ever.

― sunny successor, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:17 (seventeen years ago)

My grandmother's name is Ruby, and if I ever have a daughter I'm backing it 100%.

― dan m, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:24 (seventeen years ago)

Ruby is great! Thumbs way up.

― kenan, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:25 (seventeen years ago)

Too many Ruby fans! If this thread is any indication, by the time ready to pop one out it'll be the new Ava.

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:27 (seventeen years ago)

Odessa

ah! this was also on our list. (Female form of Odysseus, great Bee Gees album, altho the city has a pretty tortured past...)

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:27 (seventeen years ago)

i dont really like Ruby. it makes me think of someone with lipstick all over their teeth. i dont know why.

― sunny successor, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:28 (seventeen years ago)

otm, no offense to any rubys

― Mark Clemente, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:29 (seventeen years ago)

Years ago I wanted to name a daughter Ruby Texana. But now with passings in my family any daughter would be Alma Wynona. However this child may never happen so moot point.

― Ms Misery, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:30 (seventeen years ago)

I should've asked, Shakey, whose surname does the kid gets? Because if it's just yours, Ruby introduces too many Bs.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:32 (seventeen years ago)

yeah its mine. the middle name is probably going to be a family name, not sure which one yet

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:33 (seventeen years ago)

Too many Bs for my liking, that is. Bubba bubba.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:34 (seventeen years ago)

You mean you're name's not Shakey Mo Collier? :(

― Ms Misery, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:34 (seventeen years ago)

I want an Isabella.

― kenan, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:35 (seventeen years ago)

I like that one -- good nicknames too. Isa, Bell, etc.

― Mark Clemente, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:36 (seventeen years ago)

I would not name a baby Ursala because I think all anyone under 25 associates with her name is this:

http://students.ou.edu/P/Lesley.B.Pierce-1/ursula.gif

― Abbott, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:36 (seventeen years ago)

hahaha!

― Mark Clemente, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:36 (seventeen years ago)

hideous

― Mark Clemente, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:37 (seventeen years ago)

Isabella doesn't really work with my last name, does it? :(

Besides, I would fear the day she finally sees Blue Velvet and realizes where her name came from.

― kenan, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:37 (seventeen years ago)

What's your last name?

― Mark Clemente, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:38 (seventeen years ago)

She would never know, Kenan. Isabella is the 4th most popular girls' name right now.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:39 (seventeen years ago)

Also, Abbott OTM re Little Mermaid.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:40 (seventeen years ago)

Name her Hermione, smart, brave, etc.

― Ms Misery, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:40 (seventeen years ago)

yeah I know - the wife really likes Ursula but I have yet to persuade her that it has too many negative associations

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:41 (seventeen years ago)

I think Isobel is on our list but not Isabella...? More Bs, but there are lots of Isobels I like.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:42 (seventeen years ago)

On the other hand:

http://www.nndb.com/people/897/000023828/ursula1-sized.jpg

― n/a, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 18:49 (seventeen years ago)

Ruby's OK in itself, but it's too zeitgeisty. It's the kind of name Britpop stars have chosen for their kids.

― Alba, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:05 (seventeen years ago)

Someone here mentioned our next baby's name today. GUESS!

― stevienixed, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:12 (seventeen years ago)

Ivan

― kenan, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:13 (seventeen years ago)

^^ Do you know if you're having a b or g? I haven't been keeping up!

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:14 (seventeen years ago)

whoops, not for Kenan unless he has something to tell everyyone.

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:14 (seventeen years ago)

FARRAH!!!!!

xxxpost

― sunny successor, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:15 (seventeen years ago)

Guess is a nice name for a borg.

― Alba, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:15 (seventeen years ago)

my first son will be named Gurn Blanston, obv

― kenan, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:15 (seventeen years ago)

Nat - if it's a girl . . . Olympia?

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:17 (seventeen years ago)

My sister took my Ruby - her kids are Max, Xavier, Ruby & Maya.

― luna, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:20 (seventeen years ago)

But Adrienne, Carolyn, Genevieve and Samaire? WTF, I ask me.

― luna, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:20 (seventeen years ago)

Your sister has 8 kids?

― Ms Misery, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:21 (seventeen years ago)

Maya is a name that has probably grown in popularity, right?

― sweet tater, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:21 (seventeen years ago)

Maya is a name that has probably grown in popularity, right?

Yep. Debuted in 1970, broke into the top 500 in 1990, into the top 100 in 2002, and is currently #57. Probably riding the curve of other short, classic-sounding two-syllable names for girls that end in "-a," including Ava, Mia, Ella, and Anna.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:27 (seventeen years ago)

I knew you would respond to this.

― sweet tater, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:28 (seventeen years ago)

Samaire

Does this have any relevance beyond actress Samaire Armstrong?

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:30 (seventeen years ago)

xpost I can't help it.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:30 (seventeen years ago)

The other girls' name I love besides Ruby is Sadie. My husband hates them both.

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:31 (seventeen years ago)

I loved so many names that my husband completely nixed, including David, Daniel, and Lorraine. For the past few years, I've been a bit in love with the name Lillian. Emma is also beautiful...

― Sara R-C, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:32 (seventeen years ago)

My friend has a daughter named Lillia which I love.

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:32 (seventeen years ago)

No, just 4 - the other names were ones I posted on this thread as ones I liked, Sam.

Yes, that may well have been where I got the name, jaymc.

― luna, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:33 (seventeen years ago)

Lillia - Oooh, pretty.

Another classic name my husband hated: Jason.

Seriously, finding names for boys that my husband didn't hate was a huge struggle. I spent a good amount of time trying to find horrible names to pitch to him, just to see if he'd realize I was doing it. That was kind of a fun game while it lasted.

― Sara R-C, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:34 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah, I've always really liked the names Emma and Lily, but they're so popular now! Not that I'm ever having kids, anyway.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:35 (seventeen years ago)

Jason is pretty out of fashion these days.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:36 (seventeen years ago)

Jason is the gross fat kid on Home Movies

― kenan, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:37 (seventeen years ago)

We won't be going the kid route for at least another 3 years at this point but the name thing is fun to talk about. Unfortunately, L puts the kibosh on nearly every name I like. My all time favorite boy name is Oliver. He hates it.

It doesn't really matter anymore anyway because THE GREATEST NAME EVER has already been taken not once, not twice, but three times. L found about a professor the other day whose name is Lucius T. Outlaw who has a son who is the Lucius T. Outlaw III. I love it.

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:39 (seventeen years ago)

we have a civil war era ancestor with the name oliver horsey neal.

― sweet tater, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:40 (seventeen years ago)

Coolest name of someone you personally know

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:42 (seventeen years ago)

Because that has Oliver in it, it's pretty good, but c'mon - OUTLAW!

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:42 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.nndb.com/people/897/000023828/ursula1-sized.jpg

'Shell?

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:43 (seventeen years ago)

horsey is great.

G. was a perturbed that I had chosen a girl's name with no possibility of revision. But then I reminded him that any boy-child would follow he and his father's same-first-name, different-middle-name tradition. These appeased him. Though he nixed my top choice for middle name, Austin.

Kids probably won't happen though.

― Ms Misery, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:43 (seventeen years ago)

Aw, S - you ok?

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:45 (seventeen years ago)

I wonder if I should become a baby-name consultant.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:46 (seventeen years ago)

The fact that baby-name consultants exist is just wrong.

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:47 (seventeen years ago)

Aw, S - you ok?

Yes. But we've decided to make a decision two years from now. All baby-fever on hold.

― Ms Misery, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:48 (seventeen years ago)

why the steep drop-off in Mary? Mary is a fine name.

― kenan, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:48 (seventeen years ago)

xxxp What else am I going to do with this obsession besides prey on neurotic rich people?

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:48 (seventeen years ago)

polygamy

― kenan, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:50 (seventeen years ago)

Fair point. But seriously - John and Shannon Bentham used a consultant to help name their son, Jackson, now 12 weeks old. - how much do you think those dipshits paid someone to come up with Jackson? It's a fine name but not extremely unique or anything!

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:50 (seventeen years ago)

why the steep drop-off in Mary? Mary is a fine name.

A fine name had been #1 from 1880-1946 and again from 1953-61. I think people got sick of it, especially once the 1960s happened and they no longer felt obligated to name their daughters after the most famous woman in the Bible.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:51 (seventeen years ago)

...*that* had been #1...

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:52 (seventeen years ago)

where is Erica on that list of yours? I don't know many my age (30) but I think it was really popular about 15 years ago.

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:53 (seventeen years ago)

Also 1880-1946 - WOW!!!

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:54 (seventeen years ago)

erica means heather, it's like naming yr kid in code

― mark s, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:55 (seventeen years ago)

I had a lot of trouble with my husband when I was pregnant - we couldn't agree on ANYTHING. I forget what names we had picked out initially, but I do remember he liked Tori and Michelle, and I was all no fucking way on both of them. When we found out he was a boy, I said "how do you feel about Spencer?" "Yeah, okay."

― luna, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:55 (seventeen years ago)

Wow, if I only we had it that easy.

So what's the name then, Nath?

― Matt, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:57 (seventeen years ago)

my mom was just telling me about this couple she knows (through my brother), who are in their late-20s and just had a baby girl and named her Indica. if it had been a boy they would've named him Sativa. not kidding. aah west coast canada...

― rrrobyn, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:57 (seventeen years ago)

erica means heather, it's like naming yr kid in code

I know! My Dad's from Germany where the plant is called Erica.

Luna - I think Spencer is a great name.

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:58 (seventeen years ago)

If I only we? Good lord.

xpost good lord again.
xpost again Spencer is a great name

― Matt, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:59 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah Spencer is pretty great.

One of my uncles has a Trevor, and I love and envy that name.

― kenan, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 20:59 (seventeen years ago)

Erica, actually it was at roughly the same level of popularity when you were born as it was 15 years ago. It was a fairly uncommon name until the early '70s (entered the top 100 in 1972), which I'm guessing is partially due to Erica Kane, Susan Lucci's character on All My Children (show debuted in 1970). It peaked in 1986-88 at #31, but it was ranked in the 30s for 14 straight years (1977-90). Since then, it's been gradually declining, and last year it reached its lowest level since 1968, when it hit #222.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:01 (seventeen years ago)

Also 1880-1946 - WOW!!!

Probably before that, too! No one kept track before then!

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:01 (seventeen years ago)

I like to pretend that I have some super-secret database with all this info (lol names.xls), but it's all right here (except for the All My Children speculation).

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:04 (seventeen years ago)

Yes, I like pretending you have the super-secret database too. I think you're right about the Erica Kane thing, sadly.

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:06 (seventeen years ago)

I had a 2nd-grade girlfriend named Erica, but I haven't really known too many, either.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:08 (seventeen years ago)

I have a cousin who spells her name Erika and a grade/high school friend who is an Ericka.

― sweet tater, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:11 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah, my German grandmother still spells mine with a K. I've never understood the ck spelling. Just seems redundant.

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:11 (seventeen years ago)

I still want to know what name Nathalie was talking about!!

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:12 (seventeen years ago)

A friend of mine used to insist that Erika with a K was a stripper name.

Btw, if you're interested in some stats and graphs related to name variants, I've got a new post on my blog.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:12 (seventeen years ago)

Oooh - will look at blog later. Home now - already 15 mins. late.

I don't know many stippers either so maybe it is!

― ENBB, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:16 (seventeen years ago)

Stone is in the top 1000 for 2006.

it's wild to me that the #1 names make it to #1 by being 1-ish% of the population of new babies for that year.

― sweet tater, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:16 (seventeen years ago)

how would you pronounce xiomara?

― sweet tater, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:17 (seventeen years ago)

In most years names from 900-1000 have some gold in.

I wonder if my wife will let me have Silas for a boy.

xpost with difficulty

― Matt, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:19 (seventeen years ago)

I presume the x is a zh sound?

― Matt, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:19 (seventeen years ago)

I knew a Xiomara when I was a kid. It was "she-a-MAR-uh."

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:19 (seventeen years ago)

Was she later on America's Next Top Model???

― HI DERE, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:20 (seventeen years ago)

I never knew where the name came from. The family was African American Jehovah's Witnesses. Xiomara's brother was named Denis.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:21 (seventeen years ago)

Though he nixed my top choice for middle name, Austin.

Austin is my husband's first name, and he loved having a unique and unusual name (well, except people thought his name was "Oscar."). It became super-popular in the mid-90s - as far as I can tell it entered the mainstream culture via the character "Austin" on Days of Our Lives. (Which is kind of sad because the character is/was awful and the actor could not act whatsoever.)

I think a good number of names enter the mainstream via soap operas. Hope, Kayla... the aforementioned Erica.... some of them never catch on, though (Calliope, for example, or Ridge...).

― Sara R-C, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:22 (seventeen years ago)

"she-a-mar-uh" is close to my guess. I might have also guessed that it was "she-ow-mar-uh"

it's fascinating to see how brands have influenced names. Royce and Remington are on the guys side, for example. Also: Sterling.

― sweet tater, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:22 (seventeen years ago)

My mom's, Bernedette, didn't make the top 1k of any year!

― Abbott, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:23 (seventeen years ago)

it's wild to me that the #1 names make it to #1 by being 1-ish% of the population of new babies for that year.

And the percentage goes down every year, as parents strive to be unique and either make up new names or re-introduce old ones. In 1900 the #1 name was 5-6% of all new babies, in 1950 it was between 4-5%, and in 1980 it was between 3-4%. Within a year or two, I wouldn't be surprised if the #1 girls' name was under 1%.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:28 (seventeen years ago)

My mom's, Bernedette, didn't make the top 1k of any year!

I'm guessing Bernadette did, though?

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:29 (seventeen years ago)

I'd like to see condensed stats where they take pronunciation into account - i.e. Jazmin and Jasmin and Jasmine will be rolled into one.

― sweet tater, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:30 (seventeen years ago)

Lovie was a top name in the 30's! So was Vesta, which I actually kind of like.

― sweet tater, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:32 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah, I just read something that suggested that if all the Caitlins were rolled into one, then it would be #1.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:44 (seventeen years ago)

I guess the argument for not doing it might be slight variations in pronunciation as well as spelling. Technically "Chelsea" and "Kelsey" could be pronounced the same but more often than not they aren't.

― sweet tater, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:46 (seventeen years ago)

kenan has broken the top 1000 once since names have been recorded

― kenan, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:47 (seventeen years ago)

Yep, in 1997.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BXJ4K9MCL._AA240_.jpg

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:50 (seventeen years ago)

Another consideration when naming kids - is (if anything) the initials spell out. Julia's middle name was almost "Elizabeth," (like mine and my mother's) - but then her initials would have been J.E.R.C. Which seemed kind of negative. So her middle name is Kathleen instead (after my deceased aunt).

― Sara R-C, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:51 (seventeen years ago)

Is there a way to see popularity of middle names?

― sweet tater, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 21:56 (seventeen years ago)

I'm not aware of one, but that would be fascinating.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 22:00 (seventeen years ago)

Oooh.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 22:02 (seventeen years ago)

I think EVERY girl I know has MARIE as a middle name.

― Abbott, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 22:12 (seventeen years ago)

According to that, I have the top middle name for males.

― Jeff, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 22:13 (seventeen years ago)

Haha, got it right before I even clicked on the link.

― Abbott, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 22:14 (seventeen years ago)

That site needs way more male participants.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 22:17 (seventeen years ago)

I entered - my middle name is Saunders and I have never been given a sufficient explanation for its origins beyond "its a family name" (which doesn't mean shit cuz my family is super-old)

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 22:22 (seventeen years ago)

Surely all families are super-old?

I'm amused to see James at three, my middle name and that of about half the blokes I kow, I'm surprised it isn't #1

― Matt, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:00 (seventeen years ago)

old in the sense that there's a Babcock family geneology that can be traced back 100s of years

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:01 (seventeen years ago)

whatever

i'm still going to name my non-existant baby from my vagina quinn!

― the schef (adam schefter ha ha), Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:04 (seventeen years ago)

no Medicine Woman?

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:04 (seventeen years ago)

no.

― the schef (adam schefter ha ha), Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:05 (seventeen years ago)

Quinn is a good middle name, I'm not sure about From My Vagina for a first name, though.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:05 (seventeen years ago)

Babcock is a fabulous surname. What's the origin?

multiple xposts

― Matt, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:07 (seventeen years ago)

it's just honesty, jaymc

― the schef (adam schefter ha ha), Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:08 (seventeen years ago)

Desiree (for a wan girl with watery eyes and a corners of the mouth smile - against type)

― youn, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:14 (seventeen years ago)

Matt we have a coat of arms and shit

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:17 (seventeen years ago)

Karen Markovics, 36, who works for the planning department in Orange County, N.C., spent months reading baby books and scouring Web sites before settling on Nicole Josephine. But now, four years later, Mrs. Markovics says she wishes she'd chosen something less trendy -- and has even considered legally changing her daughter's name to Josephine Marie. "I'm having namer's remorse," she says.

What bizarro world is she living in where "Nicole" is trendy?

Also, Kenan, tell a Brit how much you love the name "Trevor" and he'll laugh in your face :)

― Mark C, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:23 (seventeen years ago)

Steady on, I intended no offence so do we, for that matter. Worcestershire, incidentally, is one of my favourite parts of the country.

xpost Mark C OTM

― Matt, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:24 (seventeen years ago)

none taken no worries!

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:25 (seventeen years ago)

Oh good

― Matt, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 23:32 (seventeen years ago)

Nat - if it's a girl . . . Olympia?

No, that'd mean we have OpheliA and OlympiA beginning and ending with the same letters. No way.
It is going to be a girl. That's what the OBGYN said anyway. :-)

― nathalie, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 12:47 (seventeen years ago)

lady macbeth?

― RJG, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 12:49 (seventeen years ago)

hahaha FUCK YOU. ;-)

― nathalie, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 12:50 (seventeen years ago)

I was bored enough to click on this thread and I suddenly realised I have no idea what kind of names are popular for kids nowadays. I just found this: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/specials/babiesnames_boys.asp and was a bit surprised. When I was at school the most common boys' names were things like Dave/David, Steve/Stephen, Andy/Andrew, Paul, Chris, John, Jamie/James, Neil, Robert, Pete(r), Tony, Mark, Wayne, Kevin, Mike/Michael, Matt(hew). A lot of these names have disappeared off the scale. Most of the 2006 top 100 sounds a bit old-fashioned / posh / biblical to my ears (Noah? Oscar? Samuel?), but some of it just sounds weird: I didn't realise anyone was called Jayden or Mason or Kian.

― Nasty, Brutish & Short, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 13:25 (seventeen years ago)

dude BRITNEYS KID IS CALLED JAYDEN

didnt know my ass

― sunny successor, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 20:04 (seventeen years ago)

six months pass...

i came up w/this one at dinner w/a pregnant friend lat nite:

ICE CREAM COBAIN

pretty awz right

― jhøshea, Monday, 17 March 2008 16:29 (seventeen years ago)

Gabriel is the best name there is

― remy bean, Monday, 17 March 2008 16:34 (seventeen years ago)

New U.S. list in two months! Excited.

― jaymc, Monday, 17 March 2008 16:47 (seventeen years ago)

wow. let me guess. EMILY??

― sunny successor, Monday, 17 March 2008 16:59 (seventeen years ago)

you know, i dont think i have EVER met anyone who is named Emily or has a kid named Emily. we know there are billions of them out there. where are they??

― sunny successor, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:00 (seventeen years ago)

Farrah is still the best girls name btw

― sunny successor, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:01 (seventeen years ago)

actually, i think 'sunny' is a great name for a kid

― remy bean, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:03 (seventeen years ago)

There was an Emily in my 3rd-grade class and another one in my brother's class in high school, but I don't think I met another one until college, when suddenly there were dozens.

― jaymc, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:06 (seventeen years ago)

having a son any day now...considering:
Oliver
Donovan
Harlan

― pj, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:09 (seventeen years ago)

oliver is a fantastic name

― remy bean, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:09 (seventeen years ago)

emilys be higher learnin

i like sunny too. there was an australian show called skippy which was sort of lassie with a kangaroo instead of a collie. anyway, the kid (male) on that was named Sonny but for years I thought it was Sunny because they sound the same to me.

― sunny successor, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:09 (seventeen years ago)

congrats PJ!! Alex in NYC already took Olivier. Go with Donovan. You can call him your sunshine superman.

― sunny successor, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:10 (seventeen years ago)

Gabriel
Miles
Darby
Ellis
Seamus

― remy bean, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:11 (seventeen years ago)

but for years I thought it was Sunny because they sound the same to me.

Do some people think they sound different?

― jaymc, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:19 (seventeen years ago)

my nephew is named oliver - i lobbied for melvin

― jhøshea, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:20 (seventeen years ago)

I know plenty of Emilys

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:21 (seventeen years ago)

"un" vs "on". i dont know.

― sunny successor, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:21 (seventeen years ago)

thx, sunny. That social security website is awesome for finding out just how trendy your baby name ideas are. (you can search by name, by year, and also how far up the list the name has moved year to year) just when you think your ideas are somehow "edgy"...you realize they're not.

― pj, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:28 (seventeen years ago)

my 7 year old son wants us to name him Gauntlet

― pj, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:29 (seventeen years ago)

Athletics Carnivals "RUN GAUNTLET!"

― sunny successor, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:31 (seventeen years ago)

just when you think your ideas are somehow "edgy"

I was actually surprised at how UNpopular (at least in the US) my daughter's name is (Veronica, btw)

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:31 (seventeen years ago)

should I talk one of my friends out of naming their kid Ian Otto Urbansky

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:31 (seventeen years ago)

you know those pretentious dudes whose kids names are like miles and coltrane? i always want to one up them with this is pharoah and his younger brother sonny rollins.

― sanskrit, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:35 (seventeen years ago)

I wanted something very boring and normal because I'm really sick of "edgy" baby names. I have friends that recently named their daughter Symphony...Sym for short. What is wrong with people?

― Nicole, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:37 (seventeen years ago)

how the hell is the name 'miles' pretentious?

― remy bean, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:37 (seventeen years ago)

It's pretentious if his brother's name is Coltrane.

Ian Otto is a great name.

― franny glass, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:41 (seventeen years ago)

I was actually surprised at how UNpopular (at least in the US) my daughter's name is (Veronica, btw)

Oh good! That was my favorite of your short list.

― jaymc, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:41 (seventeen years ago)

Veronica is a great name

― sunny successor, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:41 (seventeen years ago)

I wanted something very boring and normal because I'm really sick of "edgy" baby names. I have friends that recently named their daughter Symphony...Sym for short. What is wrong with people?

-- Nicole, Monday, March 17, 2008 1:37 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

kinda hypocritical for you to name your kid lord custos omnicron

― and what, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:41 (seventeen years ago)

Ian Otto is a great name.

it is, but... IOU?

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:42 (seventeen years ago)

how the hell is the name 'miles' pretentious?

I think it kind of reads as "British" in the U.S.

― jaymc, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:42 (seventeen years ago)

do you really know someone who named their kid "coltrane"? xposts

― Mark Clemente, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:43 (seventeen years ago)

Side note: 2 years ago, my husband and I chose the name “Miles” for our son. I thought it was cool, partly because I’ve always loved Miles Davis. Funnily enough, a lot of folks now say to me, “Oh, that’s such a British name!” Um, actually, no… Clive or Nigel definitely, but not Miles. Did people say to Miles Davis, while he was jamming in smokey jazz clubs, “Why, you have such a British name!” Funny how we carry assumptions and baggage with each name we encounter.

― jaymc, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:44 (seventeen years ago)

my brothers name is miles

― max, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:46 (seventeen years ago)

my parents claim that hes named after miles davis but when my mom was pregnant gordon and maria on sesame st were having a baby that they named miles and i remember telling them to name the kid miles

― max, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:47 (seventeen years ago)

I knew a dog named Miles a long time ago, so I always liked that name. Even as a regular name and not as a dog name.

― Nicole, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:47 (seventeen years ago)

the guy who started the Highlander Center was called "Myles Horton" which i've always thought was one of the greatest names ever

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:50 (seventeen years ago)

american boys names are so much nicer than american girls names

― remy bean, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:51 (seventeen years ago)

prudence
charity
corinthians
hope

― remy bean, Monday, 17 March 2008 17:51 (seventeen years ago)

Corinthians?

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 17 March 2008 18:08 (seventeen years ago)

sister of I Thessalonians

― remy bean, Monday, 17 March 2008 18:11 (seventeen years ago)

I wonder if there was a significant UK rise in Corinthians after its usage for the baby on "Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps" (UK sitcom)

― JTS, Monday, 17 March 2008 21:00 (seventeen years ago)

my brothers name is miles

-- max, Monday, March 17, 2008 1:46 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Link

LOL, THAT MAKES U MAX ROACH BATCHES

― sanskrit, Monday, 17 March 2008 21:37 (seventeen years ago)

it is, but... IOU?

Even more reason to go with Ian Otto! Those are kickass initials.

Although if that's the only reason they chose the names...gimmick=not cool as basis for child's name.

― franny glass, Monday, 17 March 2008 21:43 (seventeen years ago)

Branding vs Meaning

(yeah yeah false dichotomies blah blah blah)

― gabbneb, Monday, 17 March 2008 21:47 (seventeen years ago)

american boys names are so much nicer than american girls names

-- remy bean, Monday, March 17, 2008 1:51 PM (Monday, March 17, 2008 1:51 PM) Bookmark Link

THIS

― tehresa, Monday, 17 March 2008 21:55 (seventeen years ago)

one month passes...

New U.S. list is out.

Highlights:

Addison continues its dramatic ascent, now up to #11 after being #106 only two years ago. By the same token, Madison drops to #5, its lowest position since 1999. I expect to see these two switch places within a year or two. Other hot names to watch: Nevaeh (up from #43 to #31), Sofia (#56 to #35, clearly riding the coattails of "Sophia," which moves from #9 to #6), and Jocelyn (surging from #73 to #50). Also, Emma loses its four-year hold on #2, replaced by Isabella (previously #4).

In boys' names, Ethan hits its highest point ever at #3, but the big news is Jayden, which shoots up from #49 to #18. Boys' names rhyming in "-aden" (Aidan, Caden) have been extremely hot lately (I've read that if all the spellings of Aidan were combined, it'd be #1), but I'm chalking up Jayden's meteoric rise in 2007 to the birth of Britney's second kid in September 2006 (too late to significantly impact the 2006 charts).

Biggest debut this year is, to no one's surprise, Miley at #278.

― jaymc, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:01 (seventeen years ago)

ew.

― lauren, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:03 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.farfromneutral.com/exodus/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/314greysanatomy020.jpg

― gabbneb, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:04 (seventeen years ago)

I'm assuming that's Kate Walsh? In which case, yep.

― jaymc, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:07 (seventeen years ago)

I mean, her plus a semi-backlash against Madison: parents who like the sound of the name but fear that it's too popular, so they give it a twist (irony, of course, is that the twist is now almost as popular).

― jaymc, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:09 (seventeen years ago)

Addison continues its dramatic ascent, now up to #11 after being #106 only two years ago.

Our next door neighbors' new baby is named Addison, it does seem pretty popular.

― Nicole, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:15 (seventeen years ago)

http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/6869/picture1dz8.png

― libcrypt, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:22 (seventeen years ago)

How many 13-year-old boys d'you know named Baby?

― libcrypt, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:23 (seventeen years ago)

I'd like to think Baby's modest rises after 1987 were due to Dirty Dancing.

― jaymc, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:24 (seventeen years ago)

(Seriously, though, I'm guessing this is parents who couldn't decide on a name for their newborn and the kid was thus officially called Baby on his birth certificate until another name was later conferred.)

― jaymc, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:25 (seventeen years ago)

I thought these names were taken from social security registrations, not birth certificates.

― libcrypt, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:26 (seventeen years ago)

Good point.

― jaymc, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:28 (seventeen years ago)

My sister's birth certificate still says "Baby Girl." (But not her soc.)

― Abbott, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:29 (seventeen years ago)

Regardless of the source of the data, the interesting part is that Baby definitely had a run of about 20 years.

― libcrypt, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:30 (seventeen years ago)

i cant go a fucking day of my life without hearing some chick go 'ETHAN! STOP THAT!!!' and turn around to see a mom yelling at a lil kid

― and what, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:30 (seventeen years ago)

xp Look up "Unknown."

― jaymc, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:31 (seventeen years ago)

Lady I'm trying my best to stop it but you know sometimes a fellah just has that urge you know?

― libcrypt, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:32 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah, that's what interesting to me about Ethan. There are so many names on the boys' list that haven't moved in 30 years (Michael, Christopher, William, David, etc.) so it's weird when an Ethan or a Noah or a Logan suddenly makes inroads.

― jaymc, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:33 (seventeen years ago)

i cant go a fucking day of my life without hearing some chick go 'ETHAN! STOP THAT!!!' and turn around to see a mom yelling at a lil kid

-- and what, Monday, May 12, 2008 1:30 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Link

im completely immune from people yelling my name in public cause it sounds just like someone shouting YO! - which happens constantly

― jhøshea, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:35 (seventeen years ago)

http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/4004/unkndn5.png

― libcrypt, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:38 (seventeen years ago)

o my how boooring

http://i32.tinypic.com/2hdw9jk.jpg

― jhøshea, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:41 (seventeen years ago)

Even my fave baby name, Mordechai, had a small run. Jingle, my #2, didn't register.

― libcrypt, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:43 (seventeen years ago)

one month passes...

Was 'Quint' a surname for Shaw's Jaws character? i like that as a first name

Also 'Knuckles'

― Ste, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 14:04 (seventeen years ago)

Ophelia is not in the top 1000 names for any year of birth in the last 18 years.
Please enter another name.

― stevienixed, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 14:43 (seventeen years ago)

you chose well

― sunny successor, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 14:44 (seventeen years ago)

Popularity of a Name
July 9, 2008

Popularity of the female name Beatrice Year of birth Rank
2007 899
2006 962
2005 a
2004 a
2003 a
2002 a
2001 992
2000 971
1999 a
1998 935
1997 a
1996 913
1995 949
1994 872
1993 775
1992 741
1991 695
1990 721
a Not in top 1,000 names for indicated year of birth

skimming it in most years

― sunny successor, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 14:46 (seventeen years ago)

The musician Nick Lowe's middle name is Drain.

What's that all about then?

― Mark G, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 14:48 (seventeen years ago)

I will name my firstborn Krang.

― RabiesAngentleman, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 14:51 (seventeen years ago)

xpost parents were obv morans.

― stevienixed, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 15:00 (seventeen years ago)

Maybe it was his mother's maiden name

― Bill Magill, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 15:02 (seventeen years ago)

My friend and his wife are due for a girl in September for which they have chosen the name Miranda. I was impressed with what an outstanding choice of a name that is.

― Bimble, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:32 (seventeen years ago)

how much can you anticipate personality based on a name? i think about this with girls sometimes, like if i learn i'll be meeting a 20-something emma or emily at a bros bbq im more hyped than if i learn ill be meeting a nicole or a danielle, but now that emma & emily are both up top the baby name list future emmas and emilys won't have the kind of parents that were bucking the trend in 1982 or whatever - parental taste being the only reasonable non-stupid way of attaching any meaning to this

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:37 (seventeen years ago)

i have a friend who has actually named his son "chase".

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:40 (seventeen years ago)

it made me reassess everything about him, like finding three sting cds on his bookshelf.

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:41 (seventeen years ago)

i used to play this game where id imagine i had a different name. if you do it right you can feel your perception of most everything shift slightly

― sunny successor, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:41 (seventeen years ago)

"penumbral precursor"

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:43 (seventeen years ago)

I've known several Chase's

― RabiesAngentleman, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:43 (seventeen years ago)

yeah i dont feel like an ethan most of the time

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:44 (seventeen years ago)

my mom wanted to name me GABRIEL wtf

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:44 (seventeen years ago)

This is my favorite page of Stanley Lieberson's A Matter of Taste. It shows how girls' names correspond with the mother's level of education, using a sample of white girls born in New York between 1973 and 1985. Maybe because I was born squarely in the middle of that range (although not in New York), the list definitely accords with my experience.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:46 (seventeen years ago)

my mom was pressured to call me valerie or phoebe which both would have been horrible in the 80's but ok in the 90s thanks to tv.

― sunny successor, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:47 (seventeen years ago)

i can see you as a bitchy valerie

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:50 (seventeen years ago)

It's really daunting to think about naming a kid since there's a good chance I'll be having one in the next few years. My wife really liked Lily for a while, which I always secretly planned to veto because it practically rhymes with my last name, and was relieved when another couple we know named their daughter that. Now she likes Isabella, but that's the #2 girl's name for '07 and I really want to avoid anything that popular. I mean, always having 2 other kids in your class with the same name, distinguishing yourself by last initial, I never had to go through that but I always felt bad for kids that did.

― some dude, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:50 (seventeen years ago)

lol lily shipley

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:51 (seventeen years ago)

just name her liply

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:51 (seventeen years ago)

i know right!!

― some dude, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:53 (seventeen years ago)

i told you about the time she looked over my shoulder at the computer and said "ethan...that's a nice name," right?

― some dude, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:53 (seventeen years ago)

Kip if it's a he.

― RabiesAngentleman, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:54 (seventeen years ago)

it could sound ok if she just takes the surname of her real father

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:55 (seventeen years ago)

lily lacrate

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:55 (seventeen years ago)

mullyman if it's a boy

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:55 (seventeen years ago)

that's it, i am not naming my first born after you

― some dude, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:56 (seventeen years ago)

:o(

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:57 (seventeen years ago)

And What Shipley is a fine name!

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 16:59 (seventeen years ago)

I am still shocked, frankly, that any more than a handful of weirdos would name an actual human child Addison.

― G00blar, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:00 (seventeen years ago)

^^

― some dude, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:01 (seventeen years ago)

andwhattison

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:05 (seventeen years ago)

Atticus, tho, might just work for a boy if there was a good short form.

― G00blar, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:06 (seventeen years ago)

i am still considering "strongo" if i have a boy

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:07 (seventeen years ago)

i like "louise" - she could be called "lou", which is about as cool as it gets!

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:08 (seventeen years ago)

it's all about the link-up with the last name tho - for instance "annabel" isn't particularly fantastic but "annabel else" is a stone classic

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:12 (seventeen years ago)

Yes--a friend of mine is dating a louise at the moment, and she definitely goes by "Lou".

― G00blar, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:13 (seventeen years ago)

eh i knew a louise in primary school. she had gigantic shoulders from swimming 800m butterfly every morning. she was also boring.

― sunny successor, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:13 (seventeen years ago)

and when her friends would call her lou it was more like looooooooooooo.

my grandmother-in-law's name is louise though and she rocks

― sunny successor, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:14 (seventeen years ago)

eh i knew a louise in primary school. she had gigantic shoulders from swimming 800m butterfly every morning. she was also boring.

-- sunny successor, Wednesday, July 9, 2008 1:13 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

estela post

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:17 (seventeen years ago)

sunny what's your real name?

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:17 (seventeen years ago)

not estela unfortunately (kath4rine)

― sunny successor, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 17:20 (seventeen years ago)

A great name! Better with a 'C'!

― kate78, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:05 (seventeen years ago)

cestela?

― sunny successor, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:05 (seventeen years ago)

Catherine!

― kate78, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:37 (seventeen years ago)

why's that better? i have a friend named "kathryn", i think her parents were just trying to make it hard for people

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:38 (seventeen years ago)

i remember at one point seriously lobbying my girlfriend about naming our first born daughter "viva roxy".

― chicago kevin, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:40 (seventeen years ago)

like if i learn i'll be meeting a 20-something emma or emily at a bros bbq im more hyped than if i learn ill be meeting a nicole or a danielle

Is the Danielle because of Darnielle?

― Nicole, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:46 (seventeen years ago)

not estela unfortunately (kath4rine)

-- sunny successor, Wednesday, July 9, 2008 1:20 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

Catherine: Catherine with a C is regal. Katherine with a K is a two-bit biker chick from Jersey.
Dave: Like that cheap slut Katherine Hepburn.

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:49 (seventeen years ago)

lol u madd cuz i said nicole

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:49 (seventeen years ago)

Catherine: Catherine with a C is regal. Katherine with a K is a two-bit biker chick from Jersey.

I always thought the reverse was true, because of Cathy the comic strip.

― Nicole, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:50 (seventeen years ago)

No one likes that name so it was not surprising. xp

― Nicole, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:51 (seventeen years ago)

Dave: Like that cheap slut Katherine Hepburn.

Except Hepburn is Katharine with an A instead of an E, which lends it a certain rarified air.

Also, Katherine was so common among women born in the 1930s-50s that it mostly just registers as "mom name" to me.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:52 (seventeen years ago)

good nicoles:

ilx nicole
nicole sullivan from mad tv
nicole wray the r&b singer

bad nicoles:

nicole eggert
nicole sherzzccxzinger
nicole fr4nc1s this fat girl i went to school with

undecided:

nicole richie

― and what, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:54 (seventeen years ago)

CathArine is the best spelling.

― kate78, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:57 (seventeen years ago)

nicole fr4nc1s this fat girl i went to school with

It's interesting how you can never get over the names of fat, smelly, boring people you went to school with. I still hate the names Heather, Autumn, and Amber.

― kate78, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 18:58 (seventeen years ago)

It's strange for me to see the name "Jeremy" gives one such a rarified intelligent air since the biggest, surliest, baddest dude in my grade was a guy named Jeremey.

So bad, his name had three e's in his name.

― Pleasant Plains, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 19:07 (seventeen years ago)

My Katharine is of the Hepburn and McPhee variety but I was named after Katharine of Aragon which I guess is a little more regal than a biker chick from jersey?

― sunny successor, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 19:44 (seventeen years ago)

kathryn is the best spelling

― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 19:45 (seventeen years ago)

You probably spell women with a 'y' too.

― Pleasant Plains, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 19:47 (seventeen years ago)

with a K or a C or an E or an A or a YN or an INE its still an incredibly boring name

― sunny successor, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 19:50 (seventeen years ago)

i call my friend kathryn "kath" "katho" and "the kathode ray"

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 21:26 (seventeen years ago)

How about Inga?

― kingkongvsgodzilla, Thursday, 10 July 2008 03:53 (seventeen years ago)

dolores

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 10 July 2008 12:10 (seventeen years ago)

Oh no, Cranberries woman

― Tom D., Thursday, 10 July 2008 12:12 (seventeen years ago)

"Jeremy" is just about the most milquetoast name possible among britishers. Maybe Nigel, but Nigel just implies dull whereas Jeremy is a limp-wristed mummy's boy who cries too much.

― Mark C, Thursday, 10 July 2008 12:16 (seventeen years ago)

indeed, such a harmless little fuck.

― some dude, Thursday, 10 July 2008 13:20 (seventeen years ago)

Do you think it's weird to call your children Adam and Eve?

― Alba, Thursday, 10 July 2008 13:41 (seventeen years ago)

Yes, weird.

― ENBB, Thursday, 10 July 2008 13:42 (seventeen years ago)

What about Kane and Abel?

― Alba, Thursday, 10 July 2008 13:45 (seventeen years ago)

Abbott and Costello

― Tom D., Thursday, 10 July 2008 13:50 (seventeen years ago)

i want to name twins carlos and smith.

― chicago kevin, Thursday, 10 July 2008 13:56 (seventeen years ago)

how about just naming one child Adam and Eve. That'd show em!

― Ste, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:00 (seventeen years ago)

Adam and Steve

― Tom D., Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:01 (seventeen years ago)

Completely awful twin names I've heard of : Babord et Tribord (french for port and starboard). Luckily, it was refused.

― Jibe, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:02 (seventeen years ago)

By immigration, I assume.

― G00blar, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:26 (seventeen years ago)

Popular names for twins

― jaymc, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:42 (seventeen years ago)

Benjamin, Jacob 14

Some LOST fans with twins out there.

― jaymc, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:43 (seventeen years ago)

oh my god, so much alliteration, i want to kill all of those people

― some dude, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:43 (seventeen years ago)

nancy

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:44 (seventeen years ago)

and drew?

― some dude, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:46 (seventeen years ago)

carlton and fisk

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:47 (seventeen years ago)

englebert and humperdinck

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:48 (seventeen years ago)

i'd like to name my kid "king"

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:48 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455007/

― gabbneb, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:49 (seventeen years ago)

Tom and Jerry

― Jibe, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:56 (seventeen years ago)

carlton and fisk

-- Tracer Hand, Thursday, July 10, 2008 9:47 AM (Thursday, July 10, 2008 9:47 AM) Bookmark Link

along those lines: triplets named rice, lynn, and evans.

― chicago kevin, Thursday, 10 July 2008 14:57 (seventeen years ago)

One of my co-workers has twins named Rylie and Kylie. At least there was no Mylie.

― Nicole, Thursday, 10 July 2008 16:18 (seventeen years ago)

"Styley"

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 10 July 2008 16:26 (seventeen years ago)

Friends of my parents named their first child "Brook". The next one was "Branch". Then came "Sunbeam".

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 10 July 2008 16:27 (seventeen years ago)

So how are the Phoenixes?

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 10 July 2008 16:28 (seventeen years ago)

My friend's sister named her kids Summit, Ocean, and Winter.

― ENBB, Thursday, 10 July 2008 16:36 (seventeen years ago)

jfc

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 10 July 2008 16:38 (seventeen years ago)

I know. All three are boys, btw. Amazingly cute blond surfer type beach babies but still - it's just mean.

― ENBB, Thursday, 10 July 2008 16:40 (seventeen years ago)

A friend of a friend named their son Rayne Axl. First name Rayne. Middle name Axl. There was a second middle name in there too, but it was so normal that I forgot it.

― kingkongvsgodzilla, Thursday, 10 July 2008 16:57 (seventeen years ago)

Babyzone have released their top ten names of 2008.

Top 10 Girls' Names
Mila
Origin: Russian
Meaning: Favor of the people
Why we like it: Though its supermodel connotation doesn't hurt, this solid-sounding moniker sounds so pretty with plainer middle names: Jane,
Ann, Jo.

Ida
Origin: German
Meaning: Diligent, hard-working
Why we like it: With an Ava at every turn, Ida is a sweet twist on the short-name trend, packing lots of nostalgia in a very tiny moniker.

Lorelei
Origin: German
Meaning: A rocky cliff on the Rhine river, dangerous to boat passage. This name has been poetically personified as the mythical creature the Lorelei, whose singing lures men to destruction.
Why we like it: An unusual turn on the traditional name Laurie, Lorelei offers a rich-sounding and historically interesting alternative.

Anjali
Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: Gift
Why we like it: This pretty name rolls off the tongue. Familiar-sounding and yet a bit exotic for the American ear or eye, Anjali is a nice multicultural choice.

Bea
Meaning: Nickname for Beatrice, meaning "bringer of joy"
Why we like it: Bea is cute and not a candidate for a shortened nickname—a big plus for parents with sour memories of childhood meanies (or with complicated last names that require a short and sweet first name).

Noa
Meaning: Movement
Origin: Hebrew
Why we like it: It sounds like the boy's name, Noah, but has a different meaning. (We like to mix things up a little, y'know?)

Oriana
Meaning: Golden
Origin: Latin, Italian
Why We Like It: A regal name, with the pedigree to match. Queen Elizabeth I was known to family and friends as Oriana.

Juno
Meaning: Juno was the protector and special counselor of the Roman state and queen of the gods.
Origin: Latin (Its spelling is a take on the name June.)
Why we like it: What's not to like? After the recent movie of the same name, we predict a rash of families will adopt this exceptionally strong female name for their daughters.

Caledonia
Origin: Latin
Meaning: From Scotland
Why we like it: Unusual without being difficult, weighty yet frisky, with lots of latitude for nicknames.

Aviva
Meaning: Springlike; dewy and fresh
Origin: Hebrew
Why we like it: A lively but soothing name that conjures up images of its meaning: A breezy spring day.

Top 10 Boys' Names
Felix
Origin: Latin, French
Meaning: Happy, lucky
Why we like it: It's fun to have an X in your name, number one, plus the meaning is good. Plus, you don't hear it on every street corner, plus although traditionally male, we would consider it for a girl too. Oh, and plus, there's speedy track star Allyson Felix.

Casimir
Origin: Polish
Meaning: Keeper of peace
Why we like it: You can't get a more important meaning these days, it has nice rhythm, solid short form (Cas), many variant spelling possibilities (with Ks and Zs), and evokes ancient kings from faraway places.

Clinton
Origin: English
Meaning: From a hillside town
Why we like it: While this distinguished name may immediately invoke images of the political power duo, you don't need to be civic minded (or a fan) to like it. Clint Eastwood makes this name completely cool. Our Baby Name Advisor says, "The name Clinton makes one feel like a home away from home. It offers protection and love. It takes away anxiety and fears, and heals the broken-hearted."

Oliver
Meaning: Norse
Origin: Affectionate
Why we like it: With a meaning like that, what mom wouldn't be attracted to this sweet name? We love that Oliver is uncommon without being too far out there.

Niko
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Victory
Why we like it: Slightly unusual and peppy variation of the ubiquitous Nick/Nicholas, and it is unisex (a la the Velvet Underground's chanteuse).

Marco
Meaning: A variation of Mark—warlike, of Mars (the god of war); the Biblical Mark, sometimes called John Mark, was a missionary companion to Peter and Paul and writer of one of the four Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus; (in Arthurian Legend) Tristan's Uncle
Why we like it: At once exotic and familiar, Marco conjures up thoughts of the beautiful Mediterranean.

Quon
Origin: Chinese
Meaning: Bright, shining
Why we like it: While it may call forth pronunciation explanations, Quon is a straightforward and strong name, easy to shout out across the basketball court and just as at home in the symphony program. The predominance of China on today's global stage means Chinese names are going to become more known worldwide. Why not be a leader?
Zev
Meaning: Deer, or wolf
Origin: Hebrew
Why we like it: Hip and unique, this name just rolls off the tongue. Try this if you're hoping for a groovy son with a funky sense of style.

Leif
Origin: Scandinavian
Meaning: Son, descendant
Why we like it: Eco trends abound, and here's just another way to pay homage to the natural world. Not as hippy-sounding as Raine or Skye, Leif (pronounced either "leaf," "life," or "layf") immediately conjures for us a rugged, explorer type (probably because of namesake Leif Erickson).

Derek
Origin: German
Meaning: People's ruler
Why we like it: Its even rhythm and crisp consonants bring a sense of strength to this name. Our Baby Name Advisor says, "The name Derek makes one feel like one is in the company of greatness and unconventional intelligence."

― sunny successor, Monday, 21 July 2008 16:12 (seventeen years ago)

Beatrice making a top ten appearence in any baby name list is kind of crazy.

― sunny successor, Monday, 21 July 2008 16:13 (seventeen years ago)

I think that's just names they like, right? You are in the vanguard (as is Alex in NYC, with Oliver).

― jaymc, Monday, 21 July 2008 16:15 (seventeen years ago)

yes it is but still...weird. in the words of my sister-in-law when she found out her niece was going to be named beatrice "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

― sunny successor, Monday, 21 July 2008 16:18 (seventeen years ago)

i know a beatriz in nyc
she is nearly three

― mookieproof, Monday, 21 July 2008 16:34 (seventeen years ago)

our friend's toddler is a beatrice. i'm surprised to know/know of 2 . but oliver is pretty popular, i thought?

― lauren, Monday, 21 July 2008 16:44 (seventeen years ago)

That list, and the way it's written, seriously gives me the fucking phj3ar.

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 21 July 2008 16:50 (seventeen years ago)

i like the list's pretense that none of those names have to do with pop culture

― gabbneb, Monday, 21 July 2008 16:54 (seventeen years ago)

casimir yeah pas/cal!!!

― youn, Monday, 21 July 2008 17:40 (seventeen years ago)

Fuck yeah, CASIMIR.

― kate78, Monday, 21 July 2008 17:43 (seventeen years ago)

not quite beatrice, but a friend has a two-week-old named beatrix (trixie). I like it!

I also like branch, it was my grandfather's name and he came from a dirt poor, totally un-hippie-dippie family of peanut farmers in virginia so who knows why they picked branch? both times I was pregnant I so wanted branch to be a contender if we had a boy, but it was nixed from the outset by my other half.

in the '50s granddad bought a gas station with his best friend coffee and they ran it together until coffee died. now, that's a name I can get behind.

― craft ho, Tuesday, 22 July 2008 18:47 (seventeen years ago)

some first middle combinations...

Potato Armstrong
Horace Amphibious

― Bo Jackson Overdrive, Tuesday, 22 July 2008 21:22 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/img/hofers/plaques/plaque_121181.jpg

― jaymc, Tuesday, 22 July 2008 21:30 (seventeen years ago)

Oh man, if I knew a kid named Caledonia, it would take so much effort not to shout at them, every time I saw them, "CALLLLLL-DON-IA! What makes your big head so hard?"

― Abbott, Tuesday, 22 July 2008 21:34 (seventeen years ago)

Aviva
Meaning: Springlike; dewy and fresh
Origin: Hebrew
Why we like it: It could be a shampoo, a retin-A eye cream, or a vitamin supplement!

― Abbott, Tuesday, 22 July 2008 21:35 (seventeen years ago)

Zev
Meaning: Deer, or wolf

That's a pretty big OR. Especially if you're in the woods.

― Dr. Superman, Wednesday, 23 July 2008 02:12 (seventeen years ago)

Aviva reminds me of Aziza cosmetics and all of the frosty eyeshadows they used to make back in the 80s.

― Nicole, Wednesday, 23 July 2008 03:08 (seventeen years ago)

Aziza is nicer that Aviva, I guess if you are going to go the kind of route where you would consider Aviva you might as well use Aziza instead.

― Nicole, Wednesday, 23 July 2008 03:12 (seventeen years ago)

I just found out (via Facebook) that a high-school friend of mine has named her daughter Xochitl, which means "flower" in Aztec.

― jaymc, Friday, 25 July 2008 15:52 (seventeen years ago)

how do you pronounce that? zok-i-til?

― sunny successor, Friday, 25 July 2008 17:30 (seventeen years ago)

Apparently "so-cheel." That kid's in for a life of frustration.

― jaymc, Friday, 25 July 2008 17:31 (seventeen years ago)

well that is much nicer. mine sounds like prescription medication that cant be taken if youve had kidney or liver failure.

― sunny successor, Friday, 25 July 2008 17:32 (seventeen years ago)

I went to school with girls named Xochitl (Xochi for short) and Tonitzan (Tonitzan for short.)

LolPODER.

― Oilyrags, Friday, 25 July 2008 18:37 (seventeen years ago)

er...lolLULAC.

― Oilyrags, Friday, 25 July 2008 18:39 (seventeen years ago)

I have also known a Xochi.

I once worked with a girl who literally cried in frustration because no one pronounced Jachyn correctly. It's ja-SHEEN.

― kate78, Friday, 25 July 2008 22:43 (seventeen years ago)

two months pass...

This is awesome:

http://www.babynamewizard.com/namemapper

― jaymc, Thursday, 23 October 2008 17:05 (sixteen years ago)

Ryan, for instance, was initially popular only in the Mountain Time Zone (in 1971 it was #9 in Utah and not yet in the top 20 anywhere else). I always assumed that the ascent of Ryan was due principally to Ryan O'Neal (the name's popularity gets going in the mid-1960s, during Peyton Place, and rockets into the top 100 after Love Story is released) -- but is there any reason to believe that parents in Utah would've been more receptive to the name than parents elsewhere? Or is it that Mormon families tend to be more in the vanguard of naming in general?

― jaymc, Thursday, 23 October 2008 17:13 (sixteen years ago)

Actually I think maybe the latter point is correct. Madison cracked the top 100 in Utah before anywhere else (1989). Same with Caden (1998) and Landon (which was in Utah's top 100 on and off for the entire decade of the 1980s before other states took notice).

― jaymc, Thursday, 23 October 2008 17:18 (sixteen years ago)

gah. caden and landon are even worse than madison.

― lauren, Thursday, 23 October 2008 17:26 (sixteen years ago)

I sort of like Hale for a boy. Or Brendan. Anna or Kate for a girl.

― peach and gold (wanko ergo sum), Thursday, 23 October 2008 18:01 (sixteen years ago)

Wow, the state timeline really is fascinating. It is now Proven by Science that the south was a resistant holdout on the name "Ian" and a die-hard defender of the given name "Bobby."

― nabisco, Thursday, 23 October 2008 19:00 (sixteen years ago)

Oliver
Meaning: Norse
Origin: Affectionate
Why we like it: With a meaning like that, what mom wouldn't be attracted to this sweet name? We love that Oliver is uncommon without being too far out there.

So the curse of Laurel and Hardy may be fading a bit on 'Oliver', eh? I am not convinced.

― Aimless, Thursday, 23 October 2008 19:02 (sixteen years ago)

You mean "curse of the Brady Bunch" / "curse of the musical"

― nabisco, Thursday, 23 October 2008 19:06 (sixteen years ago)

Today's moms saw this when they were kids:

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/c/c3/200px-Oliver_and_company.jpg

― jaymc, Thursday, 23 October 2008 19:12 (sixteen years ago)

my favorite part of the map the is terms for the different "name regions"!

― max, Thursday, 23 October 2008 19:17 (sixteen years ago)

"neotraditional" = new england and mid-atlantic
"old south" = uh old south
"modern twists" = deep south / south-midwest
"midwestern reserve" = midwest
"spanish south" = southwest

and my favorite

"creative edge" = states where hippies live

― max, Thursday, 23 October 2008 19:18 (sixteen years ago)

It's really great web design, too.

― jaymc, Thursday, 23 October 2008 19:25 (sixteen years ago)

one month passes...

Here's a good one.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081217/ap_on_fe_st/odd_hitler_cake

― when I wake up I see my self bearfooted (clotpoll), Thursday, 18 December 2008 06:55 (sixteen years ago)

Yeah. I'm guessing (hoping) teh little one is home schooled. Imagine having to go through life/school/whatever with that name. There should be a law against this. Awful. :-(

― Nathalie (stevienixed), Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:05 (sixteen years ago)

you really think there should be a law against this?

― VH1 Behind the Usic (and what), Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:20 (sixteen years ago)

No, of course not, freedom of choice (or idiocy). Really.

― Nathalie (stevienixed), Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:24 (sixteen years ago)

If I remember well here you can name your kid whatever you want as long as it's already been used as a name.

― Nathalie (stevienixed), Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:25 (sixteen years ago)

free to name, free to refuse cake, free to decorate cake, free to reconsider cake decorating policies. gob less america.

― Kerm, Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:29 (sixteen years ago)

wait so nathalie you must give your kid some used name and then they gotta pay your nursing home bills??? where do you live??

― Kerm, Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:30 (sixteen years ago)

belgium, sandwiched between frog country and some weed infested land. :-D

― Nathalie (stevienixed), Thursday, 18 December 2008 15:47 (sixteen years ago)

I'm told in Iceland they recently changed the law saying all Icelandic citizens had to have Icelandic names (from an official list), as this was kind of ridiculous for naturalized citizens. All Icelandic babies still do, though.

― Maria, Thursday, 18 December 2008 17:12 (sixteen years ago)

^^venezuela recently enacted something similar i think, a list of 100 or so names, because people were naming their kids really retarded things as a matter of course, and i guess also because chavez is a nutter. there was a nyt article a few months ago about it, maybe more.

― rent, Thursday, 18 December 2008 17:25 (sixteen years ago)

whereas russians generally know better than to give their kids weird names because their grandchildren will be stuck with them as patronymics. (early USSR patriotic names are the exception.)

― Maria, Thursday, 18 December 2008 17:33 (sixteen years ago)

huh, interesting.

here's the nyt article. best bit:

Software searches of the voter registry find more than 60 people of voting age with the first name Hitler, including Hitler Adonys Rodríguez Crespo; eight Hochiminhs, among them Hochiminh Jesús Delgado Sierra; and six Eisenhowers, including Dwight Eisenhower Rojas Barboza.

― rent, Thursday, 18 December 2008 17:47 (sixteen years ago)

four months pass...

New U.S. list is out, you guys:
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

Biggest news is that there's a new #1 for girls for the first time since 1996. And it is ... Emma. (Emily falls to #3.)

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 16:15 (sixteen years ago)

I didnt think you were too far wrong with your Bella prediction. I think most people would probably put Isabella on the birth certificate and then call them Bella. Like a Katherine/Kate/Kathy type deal.

― I wish I was the royal trux (sunny successor), Friday, 8 May 2009 17:30 (sixteen years ago)

My top running girl name for this next kid jumped up 13 places.

― I wish I was the royal trux (sunny successor), Friday, 8 May 2009 17:34 (sixteen years ago)

Could be.

Biggest gainers since 2007 (among names currently in the top 100):

Peyton (F) 0.69 change (current rank: 60)
Payton (F) 0.57 (90)
Brody (M) 0.49 (70)
Camila (F) 0.44 (83)
Madelyn (F) 0.41 (63)
Genesis (F) 0.41 (95)
Eli (M) 0.38 (100)
Layla (F) 0.26 (55)
Colton (M) 0.23 (98)
Leah (F) 0.23 (41)
Valeria (F) 0.22 (73)
Aubrey (F) 0.22 (42)

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 17:36 (sixteen years ago)

My top running girl name for this next kid jumped up 13 places.

Riley?

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 17:37 (sixteen years ago)

guarantees a good life, that name

― nabisco, Friday, 8 May 2009 17:46 (sixteen years ago)

yeah. thats what i figured.

― I wish I was the royal trux (sunny successor), Friday, 8 May 2009 17:47 (sixteen years ago)

actually this is my personal fav but its been vetoed

"Farrah is not in the top 1000 female names for any year of birth in the last 2 years.
Please enter another name."

― I wish I was the royal trux (sunny successor), Friday, 8 May 2009 17:49 (sixteen years ago)

Biggest gainers since 2007 (among names currently within the top 25):

Aiden (M) 0.18 (16)
Jayden (M) 0.12 (11)
Chloe (F)0.09 (10)
Lily (F) 0.07 (24)
Elijah (M) 0.06 (22)

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 17:53 (sixteen years ago)

Yeah I was pretty surprised Aiden wasnt top 10

― I wish I was the royal trux (sunny successor), Friday, 8 May 2009 17:55 (sixteen years ago)

lol i just was bugging jaymc a week ago about thoughts on names (the wife is expecting in October, don't know what it is yet but we're more in need of boy name ideas than girl names) and he said this list was coming. ugh @ Aiden/Jayden

― Briney Deep Coralgarden (some dude), Friday, 8 May 2009 18:07 (sixteen years ago)

more like gayden

― velko, Friday, 8 May 2009 18:08 (sixteen years ago)

If you combine alternate spellings, Aiden (+ Aidan, Ayden, Aden, Aydan, Aydin, Aidyn) is #1 by quite a bit, and Jayden (+ Jaden, Jaiden, Jaydon, Jadon, Jaydin, Jadyn, Jaidyn, Jaydan) is #2.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 18:10 (sixteen years ago)

And that's not even counting whatever ungodly variations exist outside the top 1000.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 18:11 (sixteen years ago)

1. Aiden, etc. 30,587
2. Jayden, etc. 26,685
3. Jacob/Jakob 23,337 (lol Wallflowers fans)
4. Michael/Micheal 20,874
5. Ethan/Ethen 20,227

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 18:17 (sixteen years ago)

haha i went to type 'adam' in the voyager and 'adan' came up, that was pretty o_O

― Briney Deep Coralgarden (some dude), Friday, 8 May 2009 18:17 (sixteen years ago)

right now our #1 draft pick is outside the top 100 and only rised a little this year, so i feel somewhat secure that it's not gonna be too played out if we do pick it.

― Briney Deep Coralgarden (some dude), Friday, 8 May 2009 18:18 (sixteen years ago)

I don't know how people in Ireland manage not to spend all day just laughing at us

― nabisco, Friday, 8 May 2009 18:31 (sixteen years ago)

'adan' came up

Oh, I missed that one. And also Aaden, which Laura Wattenberg of the Baby Name Wizard points out is the name of one of those kids on Jon and Kate Plus 8. So make that a grand total of 32,638.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 18:31 (sixteen years ago)

I don't know how people in Ireland manage not to spend all day just laughing at us

How do you think this guy feels?
http://knutsn5.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/1119613866aidanquinn.jpg

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 18:32 (sixteen years ago)

some dude tell us your girls names. we have henry for a boy but are lost with girls

― I wish I was the royal trux (sunny successor), Friday, 8 May 2009 19:13 (sixteen years ago)

the wife has the list, i'll have to look at it when i get home. the frontrunner's been Charlotte, although i'm ont 100% behind that given that my last name stars with a "sh" sound as well.

― Briney Deep Coralgarden (some dude), Friday, 8 May 2009 19:16 (sixteen years ago)

ont=not

― Briney Deep Coralgarden (some dude), Friday, 8 May 2009 19:16 (sixteen years ago)

sunny, Henry is a great name!
I always feel like boy names are a million times harder than girl names. It's harder to get creative with a boy name without sounding too exotic.

― KitCat, Friday, 8 May 2009 19:29 (sixteen years ago)

yeah totally

― Briney Deep Coralgarden (some dude), Friday, 8 May 2009 19:31 (sixteen years ago)

guarantees a good life, that name

Or end up stuck in the Initiative.

― Saula (Nicole), Friday, 8 May 2009 19:32 (sixteen years ago)

I am such a nerd. :(

― Saula (Nicole), Friday, 8 May 2009 19:34 (sixteen years ago)

Hours of entertainment can be found here:

http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager

It tracks the popularity of names over the last century. It's interesting to see how they go in and out of fashion.

― Darin, Friday, 8 May 2009 19:40 (sixteen years ago)

Haha I totally thought of him, too. But to be fair he was kinda living the Life of Riley right up until someone came along and stripped him of all his illusions and left him all too aware of his own uselessness and boringness. And then AFTER that he was half of a cool husband-and-wife international special-ops team!

― nabisco, Friday, 8 May 2009 19:41 (sixteen years ago)

xp I'll say it again, I would LOVE the Name Voyager if it showed year-by-year changes instead of just decade-by-decade.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 19:53 (sixteen years ago)

Sunny, you can have any of our girl names as we're never going to get to use them:

Marcie
Daisy
Freya
Madeleine

― Meg (Meg Busset), Friday, 8 May 2009 19:53 (sixteen years ago)

Henry is a classic, plus you get "Hank" for the short. We used to have a grandfatherly neighbor named Hank so I gots special fondness for it.

― But not someone who should be dead anyway (Laurel), Friday, 8 May 2009 19:55 (sixteen years ago)

baby names that offer lots of nickname options are always strong choices, imo

― roman knockwell (elmo argonaut), Friday, 8 May 2009 19:56 (sixteen years ago)

I also have a friend who's got a Lana, which I love.

― Meg (Meg Busset), Friday, 8 May 2009 19:59 (sixteen years ago)

You know what I'm surprised to find has never been in the top 1000, considering I know two women who've separately said they like it as a potential baby name?

Maisie.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 19:59 (sixteen years ago)

i'm not surprised by that. i would be surprised if it doesn't rise onto the list in the next few years, though.

― Briney Deep Coralgarden (some dude), Friday, 8 May 2009 20:06 (sixteen years ago)

I'll say it again, I would LOVE the Name Voyager

haha I read this wrong and was kinda surprised that you'd think "Voyager" was a fantastic name

― nabisco, Friday, 8 May 2009 20:07 (sixteen years ago)

hahahaha

― Briney Deep Coralgarden (some dude), Friday, 8 May 2009 20:08 (sixteen years ago)

going on my list now

― Briney Deep Coralgarden (some dude), Friday, 8 May 2009 20:08 (sixteen years ago)

if it's a girl, of course

― Briney Deep Coralgarden (some dude), Friday, 8 May 2009 20:08 (sixteen years ago)

middle name: Janeway

― Briney Deep Coralgarden (some dude), Friday, 8 May 2009 20:08 (sixteen years ago)

i'll stop now

― Briney Deep Coralgarden (some dude), Friday, 8 May 2009 20:08 (sixteen years ago)

xpost to Al: Have you seen some of the names in the lower reaches of the top 1000, though? I figured it might be hanging out among the Litzys, Yamilets, and Sarahis. Or that it would've at least been around 100 years ago. But maybe I am overestimating the number of Henry James fans.

http://www.goreybooks.com/images/covers/maisie.jpg

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 20:13 (sixteen years ago)

Hmm, I associate it with these books that my 2-year-old is obsessed with...

http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/liw/2006/maisy/maisy.jpg

― Meg (Meg Busset), Friday, 8 May 2009 20:16 (sixteen years ago)

haha I read this wrong and was kinda surprised that you'd think "Voyager" was a fantastic name

So did I!

― Saula (Nicole), Friday, 8 May 2009 20:23 (sixteen years ago)

C'mon, that'd be silly. Deep Space Nine, though...

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 8 May 2009 20:45 (sixteen years ago)

Aydin

WHY

― tokyo rosemary, Friday, 8 May 2009 23:11 (sixteen years ago)

They aren't babies, but as a school bus driver I convey no fewer than three Abigails, three Maddies, two Aidans, two Nicks and two Nathalies in a sampling of about 45 elementary school children.

― Aimless, Saturday, 9 May 2009 00:48 (sixteen years ago)

I don't know how people in Ireland manage not to spend all day just laughing at us

why do you think our economy collapsed?

― Old Big 'OOS (AKA the Cupwinner) (darraghmac), Saturday, 9 May 2009 00:49 (sixteen years ago)

the idea for henry originated from 'henry chinaski' many many years ago. we'll see if we get to use it.

ive always found boys names much easier than girls to come up with but i mostly like average guy names like tom and david and matthew etc

xposts

― I wish I was the royal trux (sunny successor), Saturday, 9 May 2009 01:52 (sixteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

www.britannica.com/blogs/2009/05/baby-names-as-cultural-trends

(not hotlinked b/c I don't really want my employer to know about ILX)

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 29 May 2009 13:17 (sixteen years ago)

the idea that a significant number of people are naming their children after one of Kim Kardashian's less famous sisters is truly horrifying. good article, though!

― czyber czar (some dude), Friday, 29 May 2009 14:35 (sixteen years ago)

And she's the one that looks like Shrek! I don't get it.

― Hatfail of Hollow (Nicole), Friday, 29 May 2009 14:43 (sixteen years ago)

looooool

― czyber czar (some dude), Friday, 29 May 2009 14:43 (sixteen years ago)

"Wow, my baby's head is all smushed up looking and wonky -- I should name her Khloe!"

― Hatfail of Hollow (Nicole), Friday, 29 May 2009 14:47 (sixteen years ago)

I didn't really have space to get into this except as a general comment toward the end, but I'm pretty sure Khloe would not be as popular as it is if Chloe weren't already super-trendy. Kardashian merely presented an alternative for parents already drawn to Chloe, the way that Addison Montgomery on Grey's Anatomy presented an alternative for parents who already liked Madison.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 29 May 2009 15:41 (sixteen years ago)

yeah, true. it's still funny, though. and Khloe is an awful alternate spelling that should only be resorted to, if, say, you want 3 daughters to have an alliterative K-K-K thing going on for some weird reason.

― 1 drWN 3v3Ry+h1n G!!!1 (Whiney G. Weingarten) (some dude), Friday, 29 May 2009 15:45 (sixteen years ago)

Haha, do you really work for that company, jmc? It all makes sense now.

― •--• --- --- •--• (Pleasant Plains), Friday, 29 May 2009 15:51 (sixteen years ago)

I do indeed.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 29 May 2009 17:11 (sixteen years ago)

Khloe Kardashian is by far my favorite of those sisters

― I wish I was the royal trux (sunny successor), Friday, 29 May 2009 17:20 (sixteen years ago)

and honestly if you havent found the joy in watching bruce jenner go slowly but delightful crazy after living w/ those girls i dont know how to help you

― I wish I was the royal trux (sunny successor), Friday, 29 May 2009 17:22 (sixteen years ago)

I see Jacob ranked #1.. lots of pregnancies during the LOST hiatus?

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Friday, 29 May 2009 20:19 (sixteen years ago)

Interesting chapter on names in 'The Stuff of Thought' by Steven Pinker - for some reason I'm really fascinated by baby names and why I like some and hate others. Anyway he says it's not really true that names become popular after a person with that name gets famous - obv it does on some occasions (eg Madison from Splash) but usually they're a product of a name's popularity not the cause of it.

― Not the real Village People, Friday, 29 May 2009 20:25 (sixteen years ago)

maybe...but Jacob's been the #1 boy name for the 11 years running now (xpost)

― ^^^^ A WITCH ^^^^ (some dude), Friday, 29 May 2009 20:27 (sixteen years ago)

We're planning to name our baby (due in 10 weeks) Chloe. Now I feel totally unoriginal and trendy. :(

― Darin, Friday, 29 May 2009 20:34 (sixteen years ago)

xpost He went round giving the parents Hershey bars THROUGHOUT ALL TIME

― Not the real Village People, Friday, 29 May 2009 20:34 (sixteen years ago)

but usually they're a product of a name's popularity not the cause of it.

I think it's pretty simplistic to claim that a famous person singlehandedly causes the popularity of a name (as I say in my blog post, the name has to be attractive first for other reasons, usually aesthetic) -- but am I reading you correctly as suggesting that having a popular name causes someone to become famous? Because that seems a lot more suspect.

Anyway, there are plenty of cases of celebrities having a noticeable effect on the popularity of names. For one, though Irish names were already coming into vogue in the 1960s, you can see Ryan make a noticeable movement on the list as soon as Ryan O'Neal appears on Peyton Place and shoot up even higher after Love Story in 1970. Kanye debuted in 2004, Rihanna debuted in 2006, and Ciara dramatically reversed direction in 2004-05. Jaslene debuted in 2007 after Jaslene Gonzalez won America's Next Top Model. Nevaeh got started when the dude from P.O.D. named his daughter that (never before in the top 1000, it debuted at #266 in 2001, the year after she was born).

Also, one of my favorite graphs:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1179/592313678_57c7bd59d8.jpg?

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 29 May 2009 21:10 (sixteen years ago)

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/parents_legally_change_9?utm_source=a-section

― congratulations (n/a), Friday, 29 May 2009 21:12 (sixteen years ago)

mother Heather Patterson said

Nice detail. A girl born in 2000 would totally have a mom named Heather.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 29 May 2009 21:15 (sixteen years ago)

Christ, how many kids has Mariah had?!

I meant that if a name is popular it's more likely that a famous person will have that name for the same reasons that their peers have that name, not that they influence it. I can't really think of any famous Chloes but that name was everywhere a few years ago (sorry Darin, and I still think it's a lovely name).
The examples Pinker gives are Marilyn (ppl think lots of Marilyns around the 50s were because of Monroe, but actually had been rising in popularity a few years beforehand and she was riding this wave - it then dropped in popularity when she became famous) and I can't remember who else. I'm not saying celeb names don't have influence, just that if you happen to know a girl called Britney then I guess a lot of people would assume she was named after Britney Spears but this isn't nec the case. Same goes the other way round - I don't know any Elvises (as you say, the name has to be appealing for other reasons!)

I wonder as well if it makes a difference if it's a unique name (if such a thing exists) or if it's an unusual variation of a more common name, like Mariah.

― Not the real Village People, Friday, 29 May 2009 21:25 (sixteen years ago)

Well, Marilyn's case is a little different because it's a stage name. She didn't pick the name until she was 20 years old, at which point (1946) it had become a top 30 name. (Supposedly a studio head suggested Marilyn since she resembled the actress Marilyn Miller, but I don't think he would've suggested it if the name wasn't already in vogue.)

Similarly, it's harder to determine the cause and effect with fictional names. Was Erica's dramatic rise in 1970 because of the debut of All My Children? Or did the creators of All My Children pick the name Erica for Susan Lucci's character because it was already climbing (along with its more popular male counterpart, Eric, which reached the top 20 that year for the first time)? Probably a little of both.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 29 May 2009 22:15 (sixteen years ago)

For celebrities that use their given name, however, I don't really understand Pinker's theory. Especially for women, where the name turnover is so high: If an adult female celebrity has a name that's also a currently popular baby name, then it's either one of those evergreen names like Sarah or Elizabeth that never seems to go out of style, or it's a coincidence, or the celebrity is in part responsible for the popularity of the name. It's simply not usually the case that the same name would be at the same level of popularity among a celebrity, her peers, and the current crop of babies in the U.S.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 29 May 2009 22:25 (sixteen years ago)

if you happen to know a girl called Britney then I guess a lot of people would assume she was named after Britney Spears but this isn't nec the case

No, but if she was born in 1999, I might have some reason to believe that Spears played a role, since there were more than twice as many Britneys born that year than the year before.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 29 May 2009 22:32 (sixteen years ago)

(And which was also, of course, the year that Spears's debut single hit #1.)

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 29 May 2009 22:35 (sixteen years ago)

Chase
Nora

― calstars, Saturday, 30 May 2009 01:40 (sixteen years ago)

one month passes...

Caleigh for a girl
Jubal for a boy

― Zaida, Sunday, 19 July 2009 14:45 (sixteen years ago)

Daniel, William, Oscar, Ricardo or Lautaro for a boy.
Paloma, Eliana or Josephine for a girl.

― De Mysteriis Dom Passantino (jim), Sunday, 19 July 2009 15:15 (sixteen years ago)

josephine is pretty great

― I wish I was the royal trux (sunny successor), Sunday, 19 July 2009 17:01 (sixteen years ago)

Caleigh for a girl

How are you pronouncing that? I know 2 girls with this name, and one pronounces it KALL-EE and the other pronounces it KAY-LEE.

I love Theodore, Tobias, Charles, Lachlan, Jonah for boys, and Petra, Lilith, Iris, Florence, Ursula, Eve for girls. Most will not be used due to surname clashes, though.

― franny glass, Sunday, 19 July 2009 18:45 (sixteen years ago)

xpost I think Teeny's girl's Josephine. Lovely name.

I'm happy that Ophelia wasn't named Amelie. There's a ton of'em running around.

― Unregistered Googler (stevienixed), Sunday, 19 July 2009 19:49 (sixteen years ago)

I'm also loving Ophelia, stevienixed. Excellent choice.

― franny glass, Sunday, 19 July 2009 21:04 (sixteen years ago)

nine months pass...

U.S. list for 2009 is now out!

Big news is that Isabella is now #1 for girls, and apparently it's the first time since 1940 that the #1 name for girls has represented a larger number of babies than the #1 name for boys.

I imagine Twilight played a role in that: among the biggest movers on the list were Arabella (656 to 447), Annabella (591 to 461), and just plain Bella, which zoomed to 58 from 122 (the highest debut in the top 100).

Also, Sasha and Malia both moved up more than 100 places (though they're still only at #261 and #192, respectively).

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 16:15 (fifteen years ago)

Meantime.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 May 2010 16:17 (fifteen years ago)

In a similar vein, leafing through the newspaper these days is like crawling through a minefield of makeshift names. An article will catch my eye — say, something about a tornado that just missed ripping through a preschool beauty pageant — and I dread what’s coming next. They’re going to interview the pint-size witnesses, and I’m about to meet little Brittney, Brittny, Brittneigh, Brit’nee, Brittani and Bryttney. If you absolutely have to name your child after a rugged French peninsula, then get out a dictionary and look it up. It’s Brittany.

LOL does he really think people are picking this name because of the region of France?

― congratulations (n/a), Friday, 7 May 2010 16:20 (fifteen years ago)

gonna name my baby la-warre vallee

― congratulations (n/a), Friday, 7 May 2010 16:22 (fifteen years ago)

"So why is she called Dor'donna?"

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 May 2010 16:23 (fifteen years ago)

If you absolutely have to name your child after a rugged French peninsula, then get out a dictionary and look it up. His name's Serge.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 May 2010 16:24 (fifteen years ago)

i usually do not give that much of a fuck about what stupid vain things parents do with their offspring, but bizarrely spelled naming just hits home 4 me as someone with a commonly misspelled surname. like, i was born into this family name, but u have a choice 2 give your child something recognizable. alas, what should be the first gift is indeed a curse with shit like britneigh of kaydin or whatever the half-literate of america thinks is special. it's like yay, you have guaranteed a life of strippery and spam solicitation 4 yr kids, assholes.

― stupidfruityswagaliciousexpialidocious (m bison), Friday, 7 May 2010 16:27 (fifteen years ago)

maybe i just have a dirty mind but "Madison" has never not sounded like a porn star name to me, despite it having become one of the most common names in america.

― The Clegg Effect (Tracer Hand), Friday, 7 May 2010 16:31 (fifteen years ago)

You can't "misspell" a name.

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 16:32 (fifteen years ago)

Sure thing jeymc

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 May 2010 16:34 (fifteen years ago)

I'm all the way down in the 90s?! I may as well be named Aloysius.

― will live out his days in gloomy batchelorhood (Eric H.), Friday, 7 May 2010 16:35 (fifteen years ago)

just ask Ned Ragget

― congratulations (n/a), Friday, 7 May 2010 16:35 (fifteen years ago)

You can't "misspell" a name.

― jaymc, Friday, May 7, 2010 11:32 AM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark

:-|

― stupidfruityswagaliciousexpialidocious (m bison), Friday, 7 May 2010 16:37 (fifteen years ago)

my last name was misspelled on my fuckin birth certificate until i was 16

― stupidfruityswagaliciousexpialidocious (m bison), Friday, 7 May 2010 16:38 (fifteen years ago)

Xzavier is the 586th most popular boy's name. Xzavier.

I need to take a walk.

― not having a luxury watch is terrible (unregistered), Friday, 7 May 2010 16:39 (fifteen years ago)

Hot names for girls in the top 100:

Khloe: #95, up 101% from 2008
Bella: #48, up 62%
Leah: #28, up 20%
Isabella: #1, up 19%
Zoey: #75, up 15%
Kaylee: #26, up 14%
Eva: #99, up 13%
Charlotte: #68, up 13%
Peyton: #43, up 12%
Mia: #10, up 12%

Hot names for boys in the top 100:

Liam: #49, up 42%
Levi: #88, up 35%
Oliver: #98, up 18%
Carter: #50, up 15%
Jeremiah: #65, up 9%
Noah: #9, up 8%
Landon: #36, up 8%
Eli: #90, up 8%
Dominic: #81, up 7%
Parker: #96, up 7%

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 16:52 (fifteen years ago)

Khloe: #95, up 101% from 2008

ppl rly luv the kardashians, huh

― stupidfruityswagaliciousexpialidocious (m bison), Friday, 7 May 2010 16:54 (fifteen years ago)

Mia: #10, up 12%

fly like paper/get high like planes

― it means "EMOTIONAL"! (HI DERE), Friday, 7 May 2010 16:56 (fifteen years ago)

http://www.cybergecko.com/njpabga/baby.jpg

all i wanna do is *bang bang bang bang* and *chang chang* and take your money

― stupidfruityswagaliciousexpialidocious (m bison), Friday, 7 May 2010 17:00 (fifteen years ago)

Zoey: #75, up 15%

O_O

― http://bit.ly/Bfu2p (ksh), Friday, 7 May 2010 17:01 (fifteen years ago)

also lol, I guess this data settles the Edward vs Jacob debate

― it means "EMOTIONAL"! (HI DERE), Friday, 7 May 2010 17:04 (fifteen years ago)

2 b fair to twilight momz, jacob has been th #1 boy name since 1999

― stupidfruityswagaliciousexpialidocious (m bison), Friday, 7 May 2010 17:05 (fifteen years ago)

I am okay with a parent deciding "hey kid your common name is spelled this wacky way." What I am less okay with is when a parent gives a kid a perfectly normal-looking name but insists everyone pronounce it weird. Por ejemplo, my middle name is Leah, but my mom insisted it's pronounced not "lee-ah," like you'd guess, or even "lay-uh," like you'd probably choose as your next guess, but "lay." And what kind of name is that for a girl, "lay"?

― This is four-dimensional art; the 4th dimension is incredibly powerful. (Abbott), Friday, 7 May 2010 17:12 (fifteen years ago)

also lol, I guess this data settles the Edward vs Jacob debate

Ha, except that "Cullen" was one of the biggest risers for boys, from 782 to 485.

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 17:22 (fifteen years ago)

Abbott, you should pronounce it to rhyme with "yeah."

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 17:23 (fifteen years ago)

A Butt Lay, such a pretty name for a girl.

― not having a luxury watch is terrible (unregistered), Friday, 7 May 2010 17:26 (fifteen years ago)

@ksh: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoey_101

You should also know that the traditionally spelled Zoe was up 7% to #47.

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 17:26 (fifteen years ago)

can't wait for next years inevitable "Kesha" spike

― it means "EMOTIONAL"! (HI DERE), Friday, 7 May 2010 17:28 (fifteen years ago)

first baby name in the top 100 with $

― stupidfruityswagaliciousexpialidocious (m bison), Friday, 7 May 2010 17:29 (fifteen years ago)

Abbott, your own (real) name was up 11%. It's now at #457, which is a new high.

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 17:30 (fifteen years ago)

nonsense, m bison. you're obviously not acquainted with any 10-year-old boys named Ma$e, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

― not having a luxury watch is terrible (unregistered), Friday, 7 May 2010 17:30 (fifteen years ago)

Kesha (no $) was actually in the lower half of the top 1000 from 1970 to 1982.

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 17:32 (fifteen years ago)

do you think my wife would let me name a kid using leet

― it means "EMOTIONAL"! (HI DERE), Friday, 7 May 2010 17:35 (fifteen years ago)

for some reason I have a visceral hatred for the name "jayden" and I can't believe it's in the top ten

― joygoat, Friday, 7 May 2010 17:48 (fifteen years ago)

All these zero-year-olds wanting to ride my name's jock.

― This is four-dimensional art; the 4th dimension is incredibly powerful. (Abbott), Friday, 7 May 2010 17:59 (fifteen years ago)

for some reason I have a visceral hatred for the name "jayden" and I can't believe it's in the top ten

Then I probably shouldn't tell you that if you combined all the spelling variants (Jayden, Jaden, Jaydon, Jadon, Jaydin, Jadyn, Jaydan), it would be #2, behind Aiden and its eight variants (Aidan, Ayden, Aden, Aaden, Adan, Aydan, Aydin, Aydan).

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 18:04 (fifteen years ago)

Okay that's just lunacy.

― NARTH Gaydar (joygoat), Friday, 7 May 2010 18:12 (fifteen years ago)

jaydan and aydan are the worst
ugh

they sound like robot names

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Friday, 7 May 2010 18:16 (fifteen years ago)

Does anyone know what prompted the mid-2000s Aiden boom?

― kkvgz, Friday, 7 May 2010 18:19 (fifteen years ago)

Actually nevermind. It looks like there's a Harry Potter character by that name.

― kkvgz, Friday, 7 May 2010 18:22 (fifteen years ago)

http://images2.layoutsparks.com/1/35546/aiden-youngsters-superb-fraky.jpg

― wasting time and money trying to change the weather (Laurel), Friday, 7 May 2010 18:23 (fifteen years ago)

Jedward is not in the top 1000 names for any year of birth in the last 10 years.
Please enter another name.

phew

― it means "EMOTIONAL"! (HI DERE), Friday, 7 May 2010 18:24 (fifteen years ago)

Does anyone know what prompted the mid-2000s Aiden boom?

Sex And The City?

― nate woolls, Friday, 7 May 2010 18:26 (fifteen years ago)

Sex and the City helped, as did Will Smith using Jaden, but I think overall it was just the zeitgeist. People looking for 'unique' names and ending up exactly the same as everyone else. I have seen so many variations. Kaeden particularly makes my skin crawl.

― franny glass, Friday, 7 May 2010 18:26 (fifteen years ago)

oops xxxpost

― franny glass, Friday, 7 May 2010 18:26 (fifteen years ago)

Then I probably shouldn't tell you that if you combined all the spelling variants (Jayden, Jaden, Jaydon, Jadon, Jaydin, Jadyn, Jaydan), it would be #2, behind Aiden and its eight variants (Aidan, Ayden, Aden, Aaden, Adan, Aydan, Aydin, Aydan).

― jaymc, Friday, May 7, 2010 1:04 PM (31 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I think you've told me something like this before. What I wonder is if in your new rankings you're taking into account spelling variants for all the other names (ie Michael + Mikael + Mikel + (Miguel?))

― congratulations (n/a), Friday, 7 May 2010 18:37 (fifteen years ago)

I don't know if that would make a significant difference but I was just curious.

― congratulations (n/a), Friday, 7 May 2010 18:38 (fifteen years ago)

Does anyone know what prompted the mid-2000s Aiden boom?

I don't think there was one thing in particular. But over the last couple of decades, there's been a couple of noticeable shifts in aesthetics: boys' names ending in N have become very popular (apparently they represent a third of all boys' names now), and I want to say boys' names beginning with vowels have experienced a slight uptick, too. (Traditional names like Alexander and Anthony are more popular now than they've ever been.) Couple that with an interest in traditional Irish names (like Liam), Aiden was poised to take off when it did.

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 18:41 (fifteen years ago)

But sure, all the other pop-culture stuff certainly helped, too. (Interestingly, Aidan, which debuted in 1990, shot up from #440 to #281 in 1995, and I can't help but think that it was in part because Aidan Quinn was at the peak of his fame around that time.)

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 18:45 (fifteen years ago)

What I wonder is if in your new rankings you're taking into account spelling variants for all the other names (ie Michael + Mikael + Mikel + (Miguel?))

Yeah. Or at least as much as possible. Most of it's not significant enough to affect the rankings at the top, though.

E.g.:

All the Aidens = 31,380
All the Jaydens = 23,206

Jacob 20,858
Jakob 976
=21,834

Ethan 19,664
Ethen 232
=19,896

Michael 18,677
Micheal 536
=19,213

Alexander 18,025
Alexzander 340
=18,365

Christopher 16,136
Kristopher 637
Cristopher 518
Cristofer 253
=17,544

I suppose if you include Miguel in with Michael, then that moves into second place. But I tried to stick with names that were pronounced the same.

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 18:52 (fifteen years ago)

i seriously want to name my son either larry or bob, but wife is not having it.

― iiiijjjj, Friday, 7 May 2010 19:50 (fifteen years ago)

larry is such a bro name

― stupidfruityswagaliciousexpialidocious (m bison), Friday, 7 May 2010 19:51 (fifteen years ago)

whatever happened to jason/yeison?

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Friday, 7 May 2010 19:55 (fifteen years ago)

Your child will never get a good job with a name like Larry or Bob. With today's internet there is no excuse for not finding something more creative.

― Band Fag X (u s steel), Friday, 7 May 2010 20:26 (fifteen years ago)

i disagree. with a name like larry or bob you can literally just walk down to the docks or the mills or something and be hired on the spot. that's what larries and bobs did in the 1920's and goddamnit that's what my larry or bob will do in the 2020's.

― iiiijjjj, Friday, 7 May 2010 20:30 (fifteen years ago)

Yeah, moody music videos always need people walking around docks and mills.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 May 2010 20:34 (fifteen years ago)

didn't know people were really named Jaxon, not to mention Jaxson, which are both on the list. Personal least favorite is probably Jovanny.

― mizzell, Friday, 7 May 2010 20:38 (fifteen years ago)

Guys, there were 15 pairs of twins last year named London and Paris:
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/twins.html

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 20:43 (fifteen years ago)

Jovanny
v puerto rican iirc

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Friday, 7 May 2010 20:44 (fifteen years ago)

There's that catcher on the Cubs who's Puerto Rican: Geovany Soto.

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 20:46 (fifteen years ago)

wow, 12 pairs of twins named Aiden and Jayden, and 12 other pairs of twins named Jayden and Kayden.

― mizzell, Friday, 7 May 2010 20:48 (fifteen years ago)

I have heard all kinds of names like that Johanny, Yovanny, etc

who will be the first gatorayden

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Friday, 7 May 2010 20:49 (fifteen years ago)

Names beginning with Y are very popular in Cuba.

― jaymc, Friday, 7 May 2010 20:52 (fifteen years ago)

God, as much as I'm totally down with the not-real-name thing that goes on in punk/queer circles, there are times when I'm like 'COME ON YOUR NAME IS NOT 'TRASH' OR 'DURT' STOP BEING STUPID.'

― The Portrait of a Lady of BJs (the table is the table), Friday, 7 May 2010 21:18 (fifteen years ago)

how is that a "thing" vs. normal ppl just handing out nicknames?

or did Durt give himself that name?

― rapping about space and shit, floatin’ around in an orgy of screen savers (gbx), Friday, 7 May 2010 22:23 (fifteen years ago)

he lives in a yurt so it just seemed to make sense

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Friday, 7 May 2010 22:26 (fifteen years ago)

Zoey: #75, up 15%

I want to stab someone.

― tokyo rosemary, Saturday, 8 May 2010 02:28 (fifteen years ago)

John, can you provide any insight into the trends regarding the name "Ursula"? I see it mentioned a few times on this thread, but anecdotally I have noticed an increase in li'l Ursulas in the last year and I'm wondering if I am seeing an actual trend or if I just exist in an Ursula-heavy bubble.

― sinister chemical wisdom (Jenny), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 15:46 (fifteen years ago)

Hmmm, well, there was a slight rise in Ursulas between 2008 and 2009, but it was from 24 Ursulas (which was an all-time low) to 39 Ursulas. The last time the name ranked in the top 1000 was 1983, and the last time there were more than 50 Ursulas born in a given year was 1999. So not much of a trend, if you ask me. (Although it makes me curious where you're hearing about multiple Ursulas.)

― jaymc, Wednesday, 12 May 2010 17:20 (fifteen years ago)

Just a hunch, but I'm guessing that most women of childbirthin' age these days have a very distinct image of the name Ursula, and it's not particularly favorable:

http://animatingthecyborg.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/ursula-2.jpg

― jaymc, Wednesday, 12 May 2010 17:26 (fifteen years ago)

Oh, I see Abbott already made that point three years ago.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 12 May 2010 17:27 (fifteen years ago)

Also, can you tell I'm jazzed about the fact that the SSA has released data for names outside the top 1000?

― jaymc, Wednesday, 12 May 2010 18:15 (fifteen years ago)

Bring back Yolanda.

― Aimless, Wednesday, 12 May 2010 18:38 (fifteen years ago)

I'd still like to know what happened to Pilar.

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 18:42 (fifteen years ago)

She works over in accounting.

― sinister chemical wisdom (Jenny), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 18:44 (fifteen years ago)

lol, you just beat me to "grad school"

― Cheese? In MY coffee? (It's more likely than you think!) (HI DERE), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 18:45 (fifteen years ago)

Anecdotal Ursulas: my coworker's friend just named her baby Ursula, and when she told me, my first thought was, "Oh, Ursula must be getting popular because I keep hearing about it. I will go ask jaymc" but now that I am trying to think of other Ursulas, I cannot recall any. Maybe I recently read a book featuring an Ursula?

― sinister chemical wisdom (Jenny), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 18:46 (fifteen years ago)

Ursula LeGuin
Ursula Nordstrom
....

― wasting time and money trying to change the weather (Laurel), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 18:48 (fifteen years ago)

You guys know people named Pilar? I feel like I knew some in gradeschool but haven't met one since, and the majority of my students and coworkers are Spanish speakers.

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 18:48 (fifteen years ago)

Actually, I don't. I do work with a Yolanda, though.

― sinister chemical wisdom (Jenny), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 18:52 (fifteen years ago)

I've never known a Pilar. As best as I can tell, the name peaked in 2005 with a grand total of 137. (There's been more in the last two decades, but not many more.) The year you were born, La Lechera, there were 69.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 12 May 2010 19:23 (fifteen years ago)

I just notice that it's not even popular among my students or coworkers. Maybe I have an inflated idea of how many Pilares there are in the world.

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 19:39 (fifteen years ago)

One of my cousins married a Pilar, so there you go.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 12 May 2010 19:41 (fifteen years ago)

what about the NUSPA? my brother's group just won one

― Cheese? In MY coffee? (It's more likely than you think!) (HI DERE), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 19:42 (fifteen years ago)

Phoebe's sister in Friends was called Ursula.

― nate woolls, Thursday, 13 May 2010 09:56 (fifteen years ago)

I think that many people who might otherwise consider Ursula for their daughter might be turned off at it's meaning, which is "she-bear." Not that I think this is a bad attribute to bestow upon your daughter, but some would.

― kkvgz, Thursday, 13 May 2010 10:10 (fifteen years ago)

Might be useful for people to know that Aden and Aydan are (respectively) middle-eastern and Turkish names and don't belong in Jayden category, really..

― tweedledee and tweedledem (suzy), Thursday, 13 May 2010 11:07 (fifteen years ago)

ursula is is my grandma's name!!!!

― heartbreakin' 2: electric boohoohoo ;_; (m bison), Thursday, 13 May 2010 12:28 (fifteen years ago)

she was not born in the 2008 or 2009 tho iirc

― heartbreakin' 2: electric boohoohoo ;_; (m bison), Thursday, 13 May 2010 12:28 (fifteen years ago)

i had an acquaintance ursula a few years ago, she was mexican

― Guns, Computer, The Internet (harbl), Thursday, 13 May 2010 12:34 (fifteen years ago)

i have heard of the turkish aydan but the first syllable was pronounced more like "eye" and i think most people who name their kid aiden/aidan/ayden/aden now are thinking of the irish one but i dunno they probably aren't thinking about it at all

― Guns, Computer, The Internet (harbl), Thursday, 13 May 2010 12:35 (fifteen years ago)

Mexican chicks have lots of good names that sound like old grandmother names.

― kkvgz, Thursday, 13 May 2010 12:42 (fifteen years ago)

The Jewish variant is Eitan so you could argue that Aydan is a version of Ethan. Aden is Arabic, a port in Yemen. The 'eye' thing is Turkish (My best Turkish friend is Ayse, which is the Turkish Ayesha and is pronounced i-shay).

― tweedledee and tweedledem (suzy), Thursday, 13 May 2010 12:59 (fifteen years ago)

i think most people who name their kid aiden/aidan/ayden/aden now are thinking of the irish one

Yeah, this.

― jaymc, Thursday, 13 May 2010 13:14 (fifteen years ago)

Look, even the encyclopedia guy can be wrong, but I suspect it's down to a cultural gap a lot of Americans have about non-Jewish names from Asia Minor/Arabic sources.

― tweedledee and tweedledem (suzy), Thursday, 13 May 2010 13:20 (fifteen years ago)

Well, I'm just guessing based on the fact that the traditional Irish spelling shows up on the top 1000 first and the rest follow, which suggests to me that they're variants rather than separate things.

1990: Aidan
1995: Aiden
1999: Ayden
2000: Aden
2003: Aydan
2004: Aydin
2005: Aedan
2008: Aaden

The one exception is Adan, which made its debut in 1928. I'm guessing this is because it is also the Spanish/Italian version of Adam.

― jaymc, Thursday, 13 May 2010 13:25 (fifteen years ago)

one month passes...

john i have a question for you:

who's gonna trailblaze and name their male child Jerry? when are Jerry and Gary and Larry going to make a big comeback? can you imagine a baby named Larry?! Sure, Lawrence sounds more respectable, but these days people go with Jack (instead of John) and Katie (instead of Katherine), why not Jerry?!

will this happen? predictions?

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Monday, 28 June 2010 14:43 (fifteen years ago)

In my lifetime, I have known peers named Gerry and Larry, but not Gary. Gary was for dads and gnus.

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Monday, 28 June 2010 14:44 (fifteen years ago)

You know, if Deadheads didn't take to Jerry as a baby name, who else would?

― sinister chemical wisdom (Jenny), Monday, 28 June 2010 14:45 (fifteen years ago)

good point! seinfeld fans didn't seem to take to it, but they wouldn't be as devoted as deadheads.

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Monday, 28 June 2010 14:47 (fifteen years ago)

http://unmitigatedbliss.blogspot.com/2008/01/when-i-was-pregnant-i-went-through-this.html

― sinister chemical wisdom (Jenny), Monday, 28 June 2010 14:52 (fifteen years ago)

One commenter named her kid "Grey" as a reference to J. Garcia, but again, no Jerry. "Dupree Diamond" and "Ryder Moon," are acceptable, however.

― sinister chemical wisdom (Jenny), Monday, 28 June 2010 14:55 (fifteen years ago)

Larry is my second-most-hated name in the world, ever. And a Gary tormented me for about 6 years of school. Sorry, Lechera!

― the soul of the avocado escapes as soon as you open it (Laurel), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:03 (fifteen years ago)

don't be sorry! i don't like those names any more than you do. i just wondered when there would be a resurgence. i am not advocating this resurgence at ALL.

who wants a baby named Gary!?

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:06 (fifteen years ago)

Garrett is pretty cool, and can be shortened to Garry.

― kkvgz, Monday, 28 June 2010 15:06 (fifteen years ago)

know a guy called gary, he insists on being known by his nickname, steve, instead.

― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:08 (fifteen years ago)

"Gary" is so not a baby name that it would be a hilarious baby name.

― sinister chemical wisdom (Jenny), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:09 (fifteen years ago)

I always was holding that one as my possible next male dog name. "And this is my other dog, Gary."

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:09 (fifteen years ago)

a baby named gary would require a formal handshake upon introduction, i think

― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:13 (fifteen years ago)

In my lifetime, I have known peers named Gerry and Larry, but not Gary. Gary was for dads and gnus.

And pet snails.

― Christine Green Leafy Dragon Indigo, Monday, 28 June 2010 15:29 (fifteen years ago)

Gary is a man-name, maybe even an OLD man-name, and I don't hate it for itself! It's like Henry: something of a misnomer from birth to age 18, and then the person slowly grows into the weathered and outdoorsmany/cantankerous/general store-owning qualities of the name.

― the soul of the avocado escapes as soon as you open it (Laurel), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:30 (fifteen years ago)

Yeah, Gary and Larry are both, for our generation, definitely in the category of Dad Names. Same with Ronald and Donald and Dennis: names that were very popular in the 1940s and '50s but were dramatically less so by the 1970s and '80s. Have to say it'll probably be a while before they start to look attractive again: their association with men in their 50s and 60s -- our parents, our bosses, our used-car dealers -- is simply too strong.

― jaymc, Monday, 28 June 2010 15:30 (fifteen years ago)

It's like Henry: something of a misnomer from birth to age 18

I bet that connotation is going to change soon, though. Henry is ranked higher now than in any year since 1955. (Though I was surprised to see it never really went anyway: lowest was #146, in 1994.)

― jaymc, Monday, 28 June 2010 15:33 (fifteen years ago)

*never really want AWAY, that is

― jaymc, Monday, 28 June 2010 15:34 (fifteen years ago)

yeah in our baby name travels and associations with other new parents, we are hearing about a LOT of Henrys

― congratulations (n/a), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:34 (fifteen years ago)

I know two baby Henrys and lots of dogs named Henry. It's like Lucy.

Thank you for your thoughtful answer, jaymc.

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:36 (fifteen years ago)

It's the top "elite" boys' name.

― jaymc, Monday, 28 June 2010 15:37 (fifteen years ago)

You're welcome, A!

― jaymc, Monday, 28 June 2010 15:37 (fifteen years ago)

I kind of like the name Gary. It has dorky dad name associations but it has a nice sound to it.

Also he would be a trash-talking superstar:

http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040524/images/2004-05-24sports_lakers.jpg

― congratulations (n/a), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:39 (fifteen years ago)

I think Henry works on any age, and I'd totally call a kid that if my husband would let me. But even the fact that it's Indiana Jones' real name hasn't been enough to sway his opinion yet.

jaymc is otm above - Larry/Gary/Jerry aren't old enough yet to feel like charming antiques. When the great-grandchildren of the current Garys and Larrys grow up, they might look back through their family tree and think Gary sounds fresh.

― franny glass, Monday, 28 June 2010 15:39 (fifteen years ago)

I love the name Gary. Maybe if I someday have a boy, I'll rally for it to be named Gary. Pretty sure it'll get vetoed though.

When I was a very little kid, I thought that Gary backwards, YRAG, was the funniest name ever. I had lots of toys named Yrag.

― breaking that little dog's heart chakra (Abbott), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:41 (fifteen years ago)

Gary seems like it should be a nickname.

― congratulations (n/a), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:42 (fifteen years ago)

Gary: already gaining traction

― an outlet to express the dark invocations of (La Lechera), Monday, 28 June 2010 15:43 (fifteen years ago)

Gary could be a nickname for Garamond, for the typeface-loving parent.

― jaymc, Monday, 28 June 2010 15:46 (fifteen years ago)

I swear, with all these long-obsolete names being revived, SOMEONE's gonna be daring and name their little girl Myrtle

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Monday, 28 June 2010 17:37 (fifteen years ago)

I swear to god I read an article about a year ago about baby naming trends, and a couple was interviewed who had decided to name their new daughter Myrtle.

― franny glass, Monday, 28 June 2010 17:41 (fifteen years ago)

I know someone who's considering Mabel.

― jaymc, Monday, 28 June 2010 17:52 (fifteen years ago)

What about Charles, are there many babies being called Charlie yet?

― postmodern infidel(ity) (mh), Monday, 28 June 2010 17:57 (fifteen years ago)

I like the idea of old man names for boy babies much more than old lady names for girl babies. I love the idea, for example, of a baby named Murray.

― o sh!t a ˁ˚ᴥ˚ˀ (ENBB), Monday, 28 June 2010 18:02 (fifteen years ago)

xp I think Charlie is pretty common in the UK, like top 10. But you're more likely to find nicknames on birth certificates over there.

― jaymc, Monday, 28 June 2010 18:12 (fifteen years ago)

I have a stuffed pink bunny rabbit that I rescued from an alley and named Gerald. Which still isn't Jerry, but you can't get much closer.

― kenan, Monday, 28 June 2010 18:56 (fifteen years ago)

three months pass...

UK stats for 2009 have been released.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 12:51 (fourteen years ago)

Boys:

1. Oliver
2. Jack
3. Harry
4. Alfie
5. Joshua
6. Thomas
7. Charlie
8. William
9. James
10. Daniel

Girls:

1. Olivia
2. Ruby
3. Chloe
4. Emily
5. Sophie
6. Jessica
7. Grace
8. Lily
9. Amelia
10. Evie

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 12:56 (fourteen years ago)

Actually, I guess that's just England and Wales. Scotland and N. Ireland presumably keep their own stats.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 12:57 (fourteen years ago)

There must be a lot of cousin Olivers.

― romoing my damn eyes (Nicole), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 13:27 (fourteen years ago)

I realise this probably sounds a bit 'harrumphing colonel' but something about putting the shortened versh of the name on the damn certificate really grinds my gears [via Alfie]

― I can't wait to get home and climb aboard... GROCERY GROIN (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 13:29 (fourteen years ago)

Alfie? Really? Huh.

― That is the stench of tyranny (VegemiteGrrrl), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 13:30 (fourteen years ago)

I feel like I'm looking at a list of 1940's names. Not that it's a bad thing, I guess. Just odd

― That is the stench of tyranny (VegemiteGrrrl), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 13:33 (fourteen years ago)

Ashton, up 357 to number 69, was the highest climber over the 10-year period.

WTF @ Ashton? What next, fucking Macclesfield?

― Harrison Buttwhistle (NickB), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 13:33 (fourteen years ago)

I realise this probably sounds a bit 'harrumphing colonel' but something about putting the shortened versh of the name on the damn certificate really grinds my gears [via Alfie]

I know a Sebbie. Lovely kid, and his parents are good friends of ours, but another Alfie-esque birth certificate event. When he was a baby we used to reverse-engineer his name into Seblington.

― yeah whatever (whatever), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 13:36 (fourteen years ago)

WTF @ Ashton? What next, fucking Macclesfield?

We've already got Miles (Platting), Newton (Heath), Clayton, and (Clive) Tyldesley. I'd like to see Beswick get a run-out. Or Harpurhey.

― yeah whatever (whatever), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 13:38 (fourteen years ago)

>the shortened versh of the name

Was just about to harrumph similarly, because a full four of the boys ones are (strictly speaking) shortened or diminutives for other names. It just seems a bit lacking in imagination to me. If you give a child the full version of a name you can always shorten it to whatever you want (and I get a variety of Bill, Billy, Will and William among others) but prescribing a nickname in the first place feels off imo.

― Bill A, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 13:42 (fourteen years ago)

Scotland's register for last year is incredible and has given me many hours of amusement. There's a boy in Scotland called Sweetie! (table 4 from this page: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/popular-names/babies-first-names-09/detailed-tables.html)

― ailsa, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 13:43 (fourteen years ago)

My government name is a diminutive (jamie) but even so I find it a generally annoying when people name their kids that way.

― C. Tuomas Howell (jim in glasgow), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 13:50 (fourteen years ago)

I'm pretty judgmental with naming really. Unless it's something traditional and spelled correctly I think it's dumb.

― C. Tuomas Howell (jim in glasgow), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 13:52 (fourteen years ago)

I realise this probably sounds a bit 'harrumphing colonel' but something about putting the shortened versh of the name on the damn certificate really grinds my gears [via Alfie]

This seems to be far more common in the UK than in the US. I'm not sure why, and I don't know how long it's been going on.

The UK prefers Charlie to Charles, Freddie to Frederick, Archie to Archer, Alfie to Alfred/Alfredo, Jack to John, Katie to Katherine, Evie to Eve/Eva/Evelyn, and Lexi/Lexie to Alexa/Alexia/Alexis, whereas the US is the opposite in each case.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 13:55 (fourteen years ago)

I kinda like pairing the boys and girls names off of those lists. like I would totally attend the wedding of Evie and Alfie.

― dayo, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:00 (fourteen years ago)

It's weird that Evie is so popular now -- it is my sister's name, and the whole time we were growing up I never came across another Evie.

― romoing my damn eyes (Nicole), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:05 (fourteen years ago)

RICKY-JUNIOR

― (+) (+ +), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:06 (fourteen years ago)

Archie is short for Archibald in the UK, usually. And no-one wants to be called Archibald, do they?

― ailsa, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:09 (fourteen years ago)

Archie to Archer

Would in the UK typically be a shortening of Archibald (as in Cary Grant), a better shortening of which is Baldy (pron. w/ a short a). xpost

― calumerio, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:11 (fourteen years ago)

Also, Archibald is a cracking name, but its no Murdo-John.

― calumerio, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:11 (fourteen years ago)

The name Archibald ran in my dad's family for some while, one in every generation (see also: William, Robert, James, etc). I can't decide if this is "lol Catholics" or "lol Scots" or "lol immigrants" but either way, my brothers are probably grateful it died out.

― I've got ten bucks. SURPRISE ME. (Laurel), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:20 (fourteen years ago)

Archibald is my dad's middle name. He used to tell me the A stood for Anthony, and I believed him for years.

Murdo-John is a brilliant name. Talking of which, I also secretly love (though thankful it's a couple too many generations back in my family) the Western Isles tradition of just adding -ina to your dad's name to name a daughter. I know a Williamina, a Murdina and a Johnina based on this tradition.

― ailsa, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:20 (fourteen years ago)

um xpost, lol Scots Catholics, obv, since my dad got lumbered with it as well :-)

― ailsa, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:20 (fourteen years ago)

Slightly boggled at the idea that there are loads of little tykes called Harley.

― Stevie T, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:23 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah, I assumed that Archie was generally short for Archibald and thus almost didn't include it in that list, but I do think it's notable that the most common "Arch-" name in each country differs and that one is more of a nickname than the other.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:26 (fourteen years ago)

Archer's emergence in the top 1000 in 2009 is kind of interesting, actually. I bet a lot of parents like the name "Archie" but don't want want to put a nickname on the birth certificate, nor do they want to saddle their kid with "Archibald." Hence, Archer -- last seen on the list in 1889 -- makes a comeback.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:31 (fourteen years ago)

There were three girls called Siouxsie!

― Stevie T, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:31 (fourteen years ago)

Also three Perpetua's :/

― Stevie T, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:34 (fourteen years ago)

Surprised Henry didn't make the list. People are still naming their kids Jessica?

― kate78, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:35 (fourteen years ago)

Also, even though Sophie is a perfectly legit French name, I wonder if Americans prefer Sophia in part because the former name sounds like too much of a diminutive for the latter.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 14:39 (fourteen years ago)

Either that or Golden Girls.

― romoing my damn eyes (Nicole), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 15:43 (fourteen years ago)

Yes, that's probably it. :)

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 15:44 (fourteen years ago)

There were three girls called Siouxsie!

Where are you seeing this, Stevie? I could only find the top 100.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 15:44 (fourteen years ago)

Oh never mind, I see it now; the tab in the spreadsheet was hidden.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 15:47 (fourteen years ago)

Hey, there were five guys named Noe

― Harrison Buttwhistle (NickB), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 15:50 (fourteen years ago)

I wonder if they were meant to be named Moe and there was a typo.

― romoing my damn eyes (Nicole), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 15:51 (fourteen years ago)

I have never heard of one person named Noe, and now there are five of them?

― Harrison Buttwhistle (NickB), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 15:53 (fourteen years ago)

I knew a Mexican guy named Noe.

― kate78, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 15:57 (fourteen years ago)

****** NOE - Nintendo of Europe
***** NOE - Network of Excellence
**** NOE - Nuclear Overhauser Effect
**** NOE - Nap of the Earth (aviation)
*** NOE - Non-Observed Economy
*** NOE - Not Otherwise Enumerated
** NOE - Notice Of Exception
** NOE - Necrotizing Otitis Externa (disease)
** NOE - Naso-Orbito-Ethmoid (fracture type)
** NOE - NORAD Operational Evaluation
** NOE - Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations
** NOE - New Orleans Exchange
* NOE - Natural Operating Environment

― Harrison Buttwhistle (NickB), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 16:01 (fourteen years ago)

Lots of Noes in Latin America

― The Great Jumanji, (La Lechera), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 16:12 (fourteen years ago)

You'll have to pardon my ignorance there then.

There were also five REILYs, five RHYLIEs and five RIELYs.

― Harrison Buttwhistle (NickB), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 16:22 (fourteen years ago)

Did a little number-crunching.

Girls' names in the England/Wales top 20 that are disproportionately more popular than in the U.S.*:

1. Evie (#10 U.K., #723 U.S.)
2. Ruby (#2 U.K., #108 U.S.)
3. Daisy (#18 U.K., #153 U.S.)
4. Jessica (#6 U.K., #78 U.S.)
5. Sophie (#5 U.K., #65 U.S.)

Girl's names in the U.S. top 20 that are disproportionately more popular than in England/Wales*:

1. Addison (#12 U.S., #664 U.K.)
2. Ashley (#20 U.S., #421 U.K.)
3. Samantha (#15 U.S., #184 U.K.)
4. Natalie (#16 U.S., #174 U.K.)
5. Alyssa (#19 U.S., #168 U.K.)

Also, the England/Wales #21 (Freya) and #22 (Poppy) do not appear AT ALL in the U.S. top 1000. (They're at #1752 at #2190, respectively.)

*Calculated using percentages rather than raw numbers.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 17:34 (fourteen years ago)

Oops, that first one should be

1. Evie (#10 U.K., #723 U.S.)
2. Holly (#19 U.K., #380 U.S.)
3. Ruby (#2 U.K., #108 U.S.)
4. Daisy (#18 U.K., #153 U.S.)
5. Jessica (#6 U.K., #78 U.S.)

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 17:48 (fourteen years ago)

Is it terribly snobbish to decide flat out that you'll never name your kids anything in the top 10 list? I like a lot of those names but would get sick of hearing them.

― Not the real Village People, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 18:24 (fourteen years ago)

we named our son Cole, simply because we liked it and agreed upon it.

― Str8 Drapin It (chrisv2010), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 18:28 (fourteen years ago)

xp I think a lot of people feel that way.

Fifty years ago, the #1 girls' name in the U.S. (Mary) was shared by 2.6% of all girls born that year; the #1 boys' name (Michael) was shared by 3.9%.

Last year the #1 boys' name (Jacob) constituted 1.0% of all boys, and the #1 girls' name (Isabella) 1.1% of girls.

The decline is due primarily to an increased desire (probably beginning in the 1960s and '70s) for one's child's name to be unique/different/special (rather than simply naming him or her after a relative or a figure in the Bible). But when the statistics began to circulate on the Internet 10-15 years ago, that only exacerbated the trend, because discerning parents now knew exactly which names to avoid.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 18:33 (fourteen years ago)

I pretty much have baby names picked out already, so if they do become stupidly popular I'll just have to lump it... or try and make names based on Ikea products 'go viral'.

― Not the real Village People, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 18:34 (fourteen years ago)

Bottom of the list is interesting. 3 girls called Tuesday!

― Not the real Village People, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 19:00 (fourteen years ago)

So sick of Joshua. But I love that UK girls' list with "Daisy" and "Ruby" and hope their popularity crosses the Atlantic before too long.

― Canadian Club & Dr. Pepper (Myonga Vön Bontee), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 19:39 (fourteen years ago)

Ruby's been gradually climbing in the U.S. over the last few years; I wouldn't be surprised if it cracks the top 100 in 2010.

Daisy peaked in the U.S. in 1996 -- coinciding with the heyday of Daisy Fuentes -- but it's slipped a bit since. It's inched up each of the last two years, but it's hard to tell whether this is a trend or just a quirk in the data.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 20:08 (fourteen years ago)

I realise this probably sounds a bit 'harrumphing colonel' but something about putting the shortened versh of the name on the damn certificate really grinds my gears [via Alfie]

I have to disagree with this. Why name your child something you don't want them to be called? If you like the name Charlie but hate the name Charles, why officially call your kid Charles when you could cut the crap and go straight to the name you do like. Also, do you mind people who have the name Jack, or do you now think this is a perfectly valid name in its own right? (If you do mind, you are crazy.)

― emil.y, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 20:14 (fourteen years ago)

I am intrigued by the name Tuesday!

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:08 (fourteen years ago)

has mixed feelings:
http://www.vintageculture.net/images/tuesday-weld1.jpg

― The Great Jumanji, (La Lechera), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:21 (fourteen years ago)

So sick of Joshua.

I never meet any other Joshuas

― men just grunt it all out together (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:23 (fourteen years ago)

like, it's extremely rare, and it always has been

― men just grunt it all out together (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:23 (fourteen years ago)

There are billions of Joshuas and Joshes over here.

― ailsa, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:27 (fourteen years ago)

Shakey Mo, it was a trendy name the year you were born, having leaped from #270 to #42 in five years. It's been in the top 10 consistently since 1979. So unless your social circle is exclusively people over the age of 40, you're being disingenuous.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:30 (fourteen years ago)

you know when I was born

― men just grunt it all out together (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:34 (fourteen years ago)

Someday I would like to own an awesome house from the 1970s

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:36 (fourteen years ago)

lol

yr spreadsheetery is all powerful!

but no I do not know any other Joshuas personally. I never had any classmates named Joshua in elementary/jr. high/high school. I think in college I was dimly aware of a couple.

― men just grunt it all out together (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:36 (fourteen years ago)

in my company's Outlook address book, I am the only Joshua

― men just grunt it all out together (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:37 (fourteen years ago)

There were at least 2 Joshuas in my graduating class in high school and I've known at least one in pretty much every context of my adult life.

― lol tea partiers and their fat fingers (HI DERE), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:39 (fourteen years ago)

I must be surrounded by some sort of anti-Joshua repulsion field

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE

― men just grunt it all out together (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:40 (fourteen years ago)

Do you hate people who share your first name?

― ailsa, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 21:43 (fourteen years ago)

I never meet any other Joshuas

I am (a little) over 40 and I went to school w/boatloads of Joshua's and Joshes.

― A Reclaimer Hewn With (Michael White), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 22:16 (fourteen years ago)

I never meet any other Joshuas

I am (a little) over 40 and I went to school w/boatloads of Joshua's and Joshes.

― A Reclaimer Hewn With (Michael White), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 22:16 (fourteen years ago)

I never meet any other Joshuas

I am (a little) over 40 and I went to school w/boatloads of Joshua's and Joshes.

― A Reclaimer Hewn With (Michael White), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 22:16 (fourteen years ago)

I've heard that said a few times recently.

― Harrison Buttwhistle (NickB), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 22:17 (fourteen years ago)

Ha ha. Wtf?!!!

I thought ILX prompted you if there were identical posts?

― A Reclaimer Hewn With (Michael White), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 22:19 (fourteen years ago)

OK, I don't personally know of any JoshUAs (Shakey Mo aside), but just-plain Josh is pretty ubiquitous in my experience, and I assumed that most of 'em were formally Joshua. And as for me, I too would prefer to see the formal name on the birth certificate, cause I'm anal. And so what if it'll rarely be used - most folks have middle names that are likewise rarely used, right?

― Canadian Club & Dr. Pepper (Myonga Vön Bontee), Thursday, 28 October 2010 06:54 (fourteen years ago)

The decline is due primarily to an increased desire (probably beginning in the 1960s and '70s) for one's child's name to be unique/different/special (rather than simply naming him or her after a relative or a figure in the Bible)

Coincidentally, there's a really good post on Baby Name Wizard today about exactly this subject and how names "mean more" now:
http://www.babynamewizard.com/archives/2010/10/the-names-you-choose-mean-more-today-than-ever-before

― jaymc, Thursday, 28 October 2010 17:42 (fourteen years ago)

Kayden is a terrible name

― fakey (buzza), Thursday, 28 October 2010 17:51 (fourteen years ago)

My high school friend Josh (whose mom was pretty lefty, counter-culture, and named his sister Dunja) was the only one in my class (70s.)

Now it seems like every 20-something, jamband-looking soundman in every bar my band play's is Josh.

― Floyd Smoot Hawley Tariff (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 28 October 2010 17:55 (fourteen years ago)

"plays."

And yeah, between my friends with young kids I know TWO Caden/Kaydens and a Jayden.

― Floyd Smoot Hawley Tariff (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 28 October 2010 17:56 (fourteen years ago)

Haha, a Jayden and a Brayden were born into my family in the last two years! (Way-extended family - third-cousins twice removed or some such)

― Canadian Club & Dr. Pepper (Myonga Vön Bontee), Thursday, 28 October 2010 22:27 (fourteen years ago)

two months pass...

Popularity rank of "Louis" in the United States

2009 354
2008 350
2007 345
2006 321
2005 324
2004 302
2003 283
2002 272
2001 279
2000 279
1999 262
1998 252
1997 236
1996 234
1995 218
1994 206
1993 194
1992 192
1991 186
1990 168
1989 163
1988 166
1987 161
1986 159
1985 164
1984 158
1983 156
1982 162
1981 151
1980 151

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 13:17 (fourteen years ago)

Strangely the UK data show the exact opposite trend

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 13:19 (fourteen years ago)

US data doesn't surprise me. The name has basically been downhill since records started being kept in 1880. (It was a top 30 name until the mid-1920s.)

― Zsa Zsa Gay Bar (jaymc), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 13:50 (fourteen years ago)

I just wonder why it's got a new lease on life in the UK

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 13:51 (fourteen years ago)

im just going to leave this here: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/rankchange.html

JAX????????

― minecraft on a milk sea (diamonddave85), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 15:48 (fourteen years ago)

I'm never going to get bored of the fact that there's a boy in Scotland whose parents called him Sweetie.

― ailsa, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 15:50 (fourteen years ago)

xp Jaguars fans?

― Zsa Zsa Gay Bar (jaymc), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 16:00 (fourteen years ago)

Still racking my brane for possible boys names for foetus-of-as-yet-unknown-sex due start of April. Girls names are easy. But boys? Current fanciful shortlist: Xabi, Serge, Florian, Myles, Merle, Sterling, Gene. Kenny may yet make a late breakthrough.

― Stevie T, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 16:02 (fourteen years ago)

I know a Miles. A++++ kid, would recommend.

― Jesus Christ, the apple tree! (Laurel), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 16:07 (fourteen years ago)

3 Kenny The Bump Dec 1974

― Mark G, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 16:07 (fourteen years ago)

Jaelyn

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:23 (fourteen years ago)

Kaitlyn

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:24 (fourteen years ago)

Kailey

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:24 (fourteen years ago)

Kamryn

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:24 (fourteen years ago)

Addisyn

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:25 (fourteen years ago)

Caylee

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:25 (fourteen years ago)

Adalyn

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:26 (fourteen years ago)

Kennedi

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:26 (fourteen years ago)

Braelyn

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:26 (fourteen years ago)

Kaydence

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:27 (fourteen years ago)

Jaylynn

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:27 (fourteen years ago)

Braylen makes me sick to my stomach

― minecraft on a milk sea (diamonddave85), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:32 (fourteen years ago)

so take a couple of Addisyn

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:33 (fourteen years ago)

<3 you tracer

― legerndrymayne (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:36 (fourteen years ago)

I just wonder why it's got a new lease on life in the UK

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 13:51 (3 hours ago)

maybe there's a new role model on the scene

― legerndrymayne (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:37 (fourteen years ago)

ohhhhhh

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:38 (fourteen years ago)

Kennedi
what is wrong w/ people

― tylerw, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:39 (fourteen years ago)

Oh GOD I love Gene. EUGENE.

GENE!

― ergonomically chromium plated fish slice (La Lechera), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:52 (fourteen years ago)

Geyne

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:53 (fourteen years ago)

Ugeen

― legerndrymayne (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:53 (fourteen years ago)

How about some other classic names that could use updating? Like, Bobbiye

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:54 (fourteen years ago)

Steyve

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:54 (fourteen years ago)

Jeyffe

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:54 (fourteen years ago)

Leiysa

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:54 (fourteen years ago)

Alyss

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:55 (fourteen years ago)

It almost starts looking like Old English

― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:55 (fourteen years ago)

was talking to someone the other day whose husband thought it wld be a good idea to name their baby Nation

― obliquity of the ecliptic (rrrobyn), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:56 (fourteen years ago)

my wife met a kid yesterday named "Ryler" ... i'm not nuts about my own name, but ... Ryler?

― tylerw, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:57 (fourteen years ago)

Fylah

― legerndrymayne (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:58 (fourteen years ago)

Desylah

― legerndrymayne (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 17:58 (fourteen years ago)

Maycool (michael) - an actual name of a chilean kid.

― À la recherche du temps Pardew (jim in glasgow), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 18:00 (fourteen years ago)

Yeison

― ergonomically chromium plated fish slice (La Lechera), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 18:03 (fourteen years ago)

^sounds Cuban

― Zsa Zsa Gay Bar (jaymc), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 18:04 (fourteen years ago)

(http://www.newsweek.com/2008/08/09/playing-a-name-game.html#)

― Zsa Zsa Gay Bar (jaymc), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 18:06 (fourteen years ago)

Fylah

Shouldn't that be phylum?

― Aimless, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 18:10 (fourteen years ago)

I've always thought Nook & Cranny would be good names for twins.

― Darin, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 19:46 (fourteen years ago)

Gnoughk & Khraney

― james "blood" libel (buzza), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 19:49 (fourteen years ago)

so take a couple of Addisyn

lollz

― minecraft on a milk sea (diamonddave85), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 20:08 (fourteen years ago)

recent changes in US rankings, moving upward:

Beckett
Ryker
Maximiliano

― they call him (remy bean), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 20:10 (fourteen years ago)

Maximiliano -- is there a reason for this? is there a character in twilight with this name or something?

― tylerw, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 20:16 (fourteen years ago)

Americans of Central American heritage, I would guess.

― kkvgz, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 20:20 (fourteen years ago)

so ... it's derived from emperor maximilian of mexico? the one who was executed?

― tylerw, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 20:21 (fourteen years ago)

Ryker makes me think of prison.

― kate78, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 20:24 (fourteen years ago)

gawker very popular in latin america

― buzza, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 20:24 (fourteen years ago)

Ryker makes me think of Star Trek. Different spelling, but still.

― not the sort of person who would wind up in a landfill (Nicole), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 20:32 (fourteen years ago)

"so ... it's derived from emperor maximilian of mexico? the one who was executed?"

no, it's the spanish name maximiliano.

― À la recherche du temps Pardew (jim in glasgow), Wednesday, 12 January 2011 20:32 (fourteen years ago)

one month passes...

came to the conclusion that Jayden, or even worse, Jaeden/Jaydyn/Jaedyn/Jaidin is the worst name to ever become somewhat popular recently.

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 20:43 (fourteen years ago)

ANYthing that includes -ayden is bad.

― kkvgz, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 21:28 (fourteen years ago)

Except for Iron M-ayden.

― Hodge Podge Bodge, Peo-PLE! (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 21:36 (fourteen years ago)

hayden is the only other permissible

― i fellate myself and want to fly (whatever), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 21:41 (fourteen years ago)

It is also pronounced "Hi, Dan!" iirc

― kkvgz, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 21:43 (fourteen years ago)

aiden has long been my least favourite name

― ouroboros shoal (diamonddave85), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 21:44 (fourteen years ago)

co-sign on all of the above. ugh Brayden, Kayden (I look at about 60 applications for health insurance per day. see a lot of baby names. all time fav was this guy who had like 5 kids and named them all variations of his own name. can't remember what his name was, but it wasn't very conducive to that sort of thing, either! the poor kids who were born last, after he had REALLY exhausted acceptable permutations of his name, had names like "Ralpharina" or "Donaldress" or some shit.)

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 21:46 (fourteen years ago)

i was just talking about how ursula is a name that deserves a revival

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 21:47 (fourteen years ago)

literally the only remotely famous living one i can think of is polish tennis player urszula radwanska

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 21:47 (fourteen years ago)

apparently Ursula Andress is still alive but yr point stands

― Elmer Fuiud (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 21:48 (fourteen years ago)

ralpharina made my day
ty

― ergonomically chromium plated fish slice (La Lechera), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 21:50 (fourteen years ago)

or should i say thank you

yours,

― Ralpharina (La Lechera), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 21:51 (fourteen years ago)

wow Ursula K. Le Guin is still alive too

― Elmer Fuiud (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 21:51 (fourteen years ago)

As is Urzsula Dudziak. With the 'z' in there, doesn't that become Ur-ZHOO-la or something similar in Polish?

― Hodge Podge Bodge, Peo-PLE! (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 22:05 (fourteen years ago)

haha i totally assumed ursula le guin was dead

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 22:06 (fourteen years ago)

Ursula Nordstrom!! And jeez, yeah, who could forget LeGuin, I mean what kind of savages grumble grumble....

I've liked Ursula for some time.

― go peddle your bullshit somewhere else sister (Laurel), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 22:07 (fourteen years ago)

No, sorry, Nordstrom is dead, I wasn't paying attention to that rule of play. But I mean as far as "famous."

― go peddle your bullshit somewhere else sister (Laurel), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 22:08 (fourteen years ago)

ursula reminds me of nuns

― buzza, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 22:10 (fourteen years ago)

meet my daughter ursula

http://www.justpressplay.net/images/stories/ursula-21.jpg

― congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 22:11 (fourteen years ago)

yeah there's definitely something austere about it, but in a way that i think could work really well worn by a young woman in a modern context

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 22:12 (fourteen years ago)

My friends in DC have an Ursula. She's awful cute.

― Michael Jones, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 23:07 (fourteen years ago)

Ursula reminds me of bears.

― go peddle your bullshit somewhere else sister (Laurel), Tuesday, 15 February 2011 23:07 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah, she's definitely Ursula Minor at the moment.

― Michael Jones, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 23:44 (fourteen years ago)

I went to school with an Ursula. She went by Kathy.

― kate78, Wednesday, 16 February 2011 01:15 (fourteen years ago)

hahaha

I couldn't get past the little mermaid thing.

― ENBB, Wednesday, 16 February 2011 01:16 (fourteen years ago)

Ursula is a great name! I almost named my first dog Ursula.

― kkvgz, Wednesday, 16 February 2011 01:20 (fourteen years ago)

http://ocasionalidades.files.wordpress.com/2006/10/ursula_rucker.jpg

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Wednesday, 16 February 2011 18:43 (fourteen years ago)

two months pass...

I am here to proudly report that I now know someone who has a school aged child named Gary.
Gary!

― deez m'uts (La Lechera), Thursday, 12 May 2011 12:19 (fourteen years ago)

i have a gary in my class! i also have a penny, and a prudence. (i'm in new england, duh)

― ignore the man behind the parentheses (remy bean), Thursday, 12 May 2011 12:31 (fourteen years ago)

Heh, wow. I guess there are still a handful. About a thousand born 10 years ago, and roughly half that born last year.

― jaymc, Thursday, 12 May 2011 12:38 (fourteen years ago)

This is a Gary who could have easily been a Jayden, so I give her props for sticking with the proven excellence of Gary. I know various Pennys, but they are quirky art Pennys, not staid New England Pennys.

2010: The Year of 500 Garys

― deez m'uts (La Lechera), Thursday, 12 May 2011 12:48 (fourteen years ago)

I guess I didn't post here about the 2010 U.S. list.

Things I noticed:

*On the boys' side, Jayden and Aiden climb into the top 10. I feel like Jayden's rise to #4 has got to be unprecedented for a boys' name that's only been in the top 1000 for 17 years. (Madison and Brittany appear to have been equally meteoric for girls.)

*Mason jumps from #34 to #12, a fairly sizable leap. I'm not sure why.

*Other names with substantial upward movement within/into the top 50: Zoe/Zoey, Amelia, Charlotte, Liam, and ... wait for it ... Khloe, now the 42nd most popular name for girls.

― jaymc, Thursday, 12 May 2011 12:58 (fourteen years ago)

xp Actually, 2010 = the year of (exactly) 500 Rogers!

― jaymc, Thursday, 12 May 2011 12:59 (fourteen years ago)

500 new Rogers!

― 2010 = the year of (exactly) 500 Rogers! (La Lechera), Thursday, 12 May 2011 13:10 (fourteen years ago)

Sole reason for hoping for future female child: so that I can name her Adelaide. Used to really like the name Jarvis too, but if anyone's been to Toronto.. the corner of Jarvis and Adelaide is pretty much crackhead central :(

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Thursday, 12 May 2011 13:42 (fourteen years ago)

That's also a notoriously fragrant train stop in Chicago (apologies to the delightful person who lives off said stop).

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Thursday, 12 May 2011 14:15 (fourteen years ago)

I'm glad my wife let Aiden fall out of favor with her.

― 'what are you, the Hymen Protection League of America?' (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 12 May 2011 14:18 (fourteen years ago)

jædœn

― ODD FURRY WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL PLEASE!!!! (diamonddave85), Thursday, 12 May 2011 15:50 (fourteen years ago)

^ the only acceptable form of that name imo

― ODD FURRY WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL PLEASE!!!! (diamonddave85), Thursday, 12 May 2011 15:51 (fourteen years ago)

The Jarvis stop smells like pee, it's true. That doesn't that your child will smell like pee if you name him Jarvis, just that people will hear his name and think "urine smell."

― 2010 = the year of (exactly) 500 Rogers! (La Lechera), Thursday, 12 May 2011 19:24 (fourteen years ago)

otm

― 'what are you, the Hymen Protection League of America?' (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 12 May 2011 19:38 (fourteen years ago)

My friend and his wife are expecting a boy, so we've been bouncing around names over lunch this week.

We were trying to give the baby a codename to be used until a suitable name is chosen, but the wife did not enjoy us referring to "David Bowie"

― mh, Thursday, 12 May 2011 20:06 (fourteen years ago)

have we discuss the 2011 list. isabella is at the top of the girl's names. fucking twilight.

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Friday, 20 May 2011 18:15 (fourteen years ago)

jayden is mjust a horrible name to my ears but i quite like aiden

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Friday, 20 May 2011 18:18 (fourteen years ago)

We were trying to give the baby a codename to be used until a suitable name is chosen, but the wife did not enjoy us referring to "David Bowie"

lol.. we called our daughter "Burgess Meredith" before we picked a proper name.

― Darin, Friday, 20 May 2011 19:13 (fourteen years ago)

it's funny, my niece's name is Pippa -- wonder if that name is going to take off thanks to the British lady? Not common in the states, but I can kind of see it.

― tylerw, Friday, 20 May 2011 19:52 (fourteen years ago)

lol.. we called our daughter "Burgess Meredith" before we picked a proper name.

This is cracking me up.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Friday, 20 May 2011 20:10 (fourteen years ago)

yeah, she'll be thrilled when learns of her prenatal nickname!

― Darin, Friday, 20 May 2011 20:34 (fourteen years ago)

friends of mine went with "Cool Ranch" as the prenatal nickname, told people they were going for that big endorsement money

― rap's proud hateful history (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 20 May 2011 20:36 (fourteen years ago)

I called Beeps 'Dusty' which I really intended to call her once she was born but I was shot down by the cardinal crew when i learned dusty baker is some chicago coach/manager dude.

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Friday, 20 May 2011 20:58 (fourteen years ago)

He hasn't been the manager of the Cubs since 2006.

― jaymc, Friday, 20 May 2011 21:17 (fourteen years ago)

it's funny, my niece's name is Pippa .....

If I'm not mistaken that's her nickname, she's actually Philippa Middleton, I think.

― Nathalie (stevienixed), Friday, 20 May 2011 22:03 (fourteen years ago)

yeah! niece's name is just pippa, though. i dunno, the name "pippa" is all over the people magazine here and whatnot.

― tylerw, Friday, 20 May 2011 22:10 (fourteen years ago)

(guess i can see pippa taking off -- philippa not so much)

― tylerw, Friday, 20 May 2011 22:12 (fourteen years ago)

Pippa's taking off what now?

― jaymc, Friday, 20 May 2011 23:35 (fourteen years ago)

Its Kate Middleton's sister. The one who looked way hotter than the bride at the royal wedding. I'm guessing its a name the English give women named Philippa. Pippa sounds like something you would name a canary to me.

BTW Pippa is not in the 2011 top 10. maybe 2012 if the world doesn't end tomorrow.

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Saturday, 21 May 2011 08:32 (fourteen years ago)

Jayden is the worst name ever.

― Yerac, Saturday, 21 May 2011 15:26 (fourteen years ago)

I know someone with kids named Jayden and Jasmine, but spelled in a way that would make Steven Levitt break out in hives. Jazzmyn, I think.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Saturday, 21 May 2011 15:34 (fourteen years ago)

@Sunny: I know. Bad joke.

There were 25 Philippas and 16 Pippas born in the U.S. in 2010.

― jaymc, Saturday, 21 May 2011 16:30 (fourteen years ago)

lolz. where do you find out the actual numbers born?

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Sunday, 22 May 2011 21:40 (fourteen years ago)

have we discuss the 2011 list. isabella is at the top of the girl's names. fucking twilight.

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Friday, May 20, 2011 6:15 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

Isabella's been near the top for several years now. It's more likely that the Twilight lady picked the name because it was popular.

― yoga pants (candlecart), Sunday, 22 May 2011 21:46 (fourteen years ago)

actually, i heard a story that not only isabella, but also cullen and jacob have risen as popular names since twihlight because uberpopular.

― tehresa, Sunday, 22 May 2011 21:51 (fourteen years ago)

*twilight

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/08/us/08names.html

― tehresa, Sunday, 22 May 2011 21:51 (fourteen years ago)

ok so jacob was already popular but anyway... CULLEN.

― tehresa, Sunday, 22 May 2011 21:53 (fourteen years ago)

lolz. where do you find out the actual numbers born?

For names in the top 1000, you can use the "Popular Names by Birth Year" feature on the SSA's homepage for baby names.

For names outside the top 1000 (which both Philippa and Pippa are), there's a zip file you can download here.

― jaymc, Sunday, 22 May 2011 22:38 (fourteen years ago)

jayden is such a wretched name

― J0rdan S., Sunday, 22 May 2011 22:41 (fourteen years ago)

bentley is the #101 name for boys

kaden is #106, which i've never even heard of

kayden is #123

― J0rdan S., Sunday, 22 May 2011 22:44 (fourteen years ago)

can anyone trace this aiden/jayden/kayden/grayson phenomenon?

― J0rdan S., Sunday, 22 May 2011 22:44 (fourteen years ago)

aiden to sex nd the city, rite?

― and if serge resistant? IBAKA! IBAKA! IBAKA! (m bison), Sunday, 22 May 2011 22:53 (fourteen years ago)

and then all the permutations of that are due to general white ppl dumbness?

― and if serge resistant? IBAKA! IBAKA! IBAKA! (m bison), Sunday, 22 May 2011 22:54 (fourteen years ago)

maybe Hayden christiansen electrified America

― and if serge resistant? IBAKA! IBAKA! IBAKA! (m bison), Sunday, 22 May 2011 22:55 (fourteen years ago)

thanks, jaymc!

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Sunday, 22 May 2011 22:56 (fourteen years ago)

i grew up in the south and hayden/grayson were both v popular

― tehresa, Sunday, 22 May 2011 22:56 (fourteen years ago)

my wife and I are not expecting yet, but are planning on making a person soon, already have a girl name that was her late grandmother (Nita), still tryina find the right middle name (like it matters so much st this point, but whatever I enjoy the speculation)

― and if serge resistant? IBAKA! IBAKA! IBAKA! (m bison), Sunday, 22 May 2011 22:57 (fourteen years ago)

have we discuss the 2011 list. isabella is at the top of the girl's names. fucking twilight.

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Friday, May 20, 2011 6:15 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

Isabella's been near the top for several years now. It's more likely that the Twilight lady picked the name because it was popular.

― yoga pants (candlecart), Sunday, May 22, 2011 4:46 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

yeah its been pretty popular but its popularity increased approx 150% from when the first twilight book was released til now.

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Sunday, 22 May 2011 22:58 (fourteen years ago)

There is a Britney Spears offspring named Jayden.

― out to brunch (WmC), Sunday, 22 May 2011 22:59 (fourteen years ago)

my wife and I are not expecting yet, but are planning on making a person soon, already have a girl name that was her late grandmother (Nita), still tryina find the right middle name (like it matters so much st this point, but whatever I enjoy the speculation)

― and if serge resistant? IBAKA! IBAKA! IBAKA! (m bison), Sunday, May 22, 2011 5:57 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

i work with a 'Nita' and mostly call her Skeeter. Nita Skeeter Bison?

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Sunday, 22 May 2011 23:00 (fourteen years ago)

I've already picked out the pet name I will call her, nita pita. then I will pretend to eat her.

― and if serge resistant? IBAKA! IBAKA! IBAKA! (m bison), Sunday, 22 May 2011 23:01 (fourteen years ago)

think maybe Nita Rose would be nice

― and if serge resistant? IBAKA! IBAKA! IBAKA! (m bison), Sunday, 22 May 2011 23:03 (fourteen years ago)

nita bobilita

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Sunday, 22 May 2011 23:08 (fourteen years ago)

"bobilita was a family name"

― and if serge resistant? IBAKA! IBAKA! IBAKA! (m bison), Sunday, 22 May 2011 23:09 (fourteen years ago)

There is a Britney Spears offspring named Jayden.

― out to brunch (WmC), Sunday, May 22, 2011 6:59 PM

also a pinkett-smith offspring named jaden!

― tehresa, Sunday, 22 May 2011 23:22 (fourteen years ago)

Girl: Nita Bobilita
Boy: Bob Dobalina

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Sunday, 22 May 2011 23:22 (fourteen years ago)

Ugh, Jayden.

My cousin named her baby Jacob after her late father (I think I am the only person in the family who realized this?? And that it is also why her sister's son's name is similar) and I feel a little bad that there are going to be so many Jacobs his age running around and that people might think she named her baby a Twilight name.

― tokyo rosemary, Sunday, 22 May 2011 23:33 (fourteen years ago)

Still waiting for Mookie to make its big move.

― Aimless, Monday, 23 May 2011 04:22 (fourteen years ago)

xp This is maybe naive, but I can't help think that there are enough Jacobs out there -- it's been #1 since 1999 -- that it won't carry the Twilight stigma as strongly as, say, Cullen.

― jaymc, Monday, 23 May 2011 04:33 (fourteen years ago)

What's wrong with Jacob?

― JacobSanders, Monday, 23 May 2011 06:06 (fourteen years ago)

What's wrong with Jacob?

Haw yr mom loved twilight

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Monday, 23 May 2011 07:47 (fourteen years ago)

haha, my Oma felt I should have a strong Christian name to keep me good.

― JacobSanders, Monday, 23 May 2011 08:10 (fourteen years ago)

i grew up in the south and hayden/grayson were both v popular

i am aware of a 12-year-old named grayson specifically because that was robin's name

Still waiting for Mookie to make its big move.

dude i am right here

ps i have heard a rumor that a special one of us is expecting <3 <3 <3

― mookieproof, Monday, 23 May 2011 08:18 (fourteen years ago)

!!!!! spill pls

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Monday, 23 May 2011 10:24 (fourteen years ago)

3 weeks late post: one of my teachers in school with a (somewhat unfair) reputation as a fearsome battle-axe had a daughter called Ursula and I remember laughing with my friends at what a horrible name this was to give someone

now I really like it! and feel mean for laughing at it. it helps that I like a) Latin b) bears c) stars d) Ursula LeGuin

Is Khloe-with-a-K beating Chloe in the US or are the stats for both spellings?

― russ conway's game of life (a passing spacecadet), Monday, 23 May 2011 10:27 (fourteen years ago)

I like that couple in Sweden who weren't allowed to call their daughter Metallica. Made me think I want to call all my kids after metal bands - Sepultura, Pantera, Bolt Thrower etc...

― broodje kroket (dog latin), Monday, 23 May 2011 10:40 (fourteen years ago)

friend of mine works at a school where one of the children is named Metallica!!!!

― and if serge resistant? IBAKA! IBAKA! IBAKA! (m bison), Monday, 23 May 2011 10:41 (fourteen years ago)

iow god bless america

― and if serge resistant? IBAKA! IBAKA! IBAKA! (m bison), Monday, 23 May 2011 10:41 (fourteen years ago)

you get some strange shit going on on the isle of wight.

― broodje kroket (dog latin), Monday, 23 May 2011 10:46 (fourteen years ago)

Ursula was the sea witch in little mermaid. You'd be a sadistic bitch to give that name to a girl and then send her off to preschool where every other girl fancies herself as Ariel.

― doobieborther, Monday, 23 May 2011 10:58 (fourteen years ago)

Ursula's comeback could be "at least I don't have crabs"

― Waluigi Weingoomba (some dude), Monday, 23 May 2011 10:59 (fourteen years ago)

And about the Isabella name. No doubt that Twilight has taken it to the top, but its early 2000s popularity probably had to do with the increasing Mexican-American population in America at the time. I mean, that's a Spanish name right?

― doobieborther, Monday, 23 May 2011 11:04 (fourteen years ago)

Some dude, I'm talking about schoolkids here! Your gross.

― yoga pants (candlecart), Monday, 23 May 2011 11:05 (fourteen years ago)

Is Khloe-with-a-K beating Chloe in the US or are the stats for both spellings?

No, Chloe is #9 and Khloe is #41. I think it's safe to say that Khloe wouldn't have become so popular if Chloe wasn't already trendy.

― jaymc, Monday, 23 May 2011 12:41 (fourteen years ago)

but its early 2000s popularity probably had to do with the increasing Mexican-American population in America at the time. I mean, that's a Spanish name right?

That's possibly part of it. I wondered if stats for individual states might illuminate this to some degree. Ten years ago the name was popular primarily in four geographic regions: West Coast, Southwest, Northeast, and Florida. Its particular popularity in California, New Mexico, and Florida does maybe suggest a Hispanic (if not specifically Mexican-American) influence, though I also note its relative unpopularity in Texas. (Ten years ago, that is. These days, it's hot everywhere.)

The other part is that girls' names beginning with vowels and/or ending in "-a" or "-ah" have been trendy for the last few years (e.g., Emma, Olivia, Ava). Isabella fits very nicely into this paradigm.

― jaymc, Monday, 23 May 2011 13:09 (fourteen years ago)

Emma, Olivia, Ava, Eva, Hannah - I feel like these have been really popular for a while and it sort of sucks because some of my favorite girl names are in there but they're SO popular now.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Monday, 23 May 2011 13:13 (fourteen years ago)

There's always Olive, Olivera, Olivetta. Eva and Ava, well...you have to get ahead of the curve on baby names so that your offspring pre-date their name's surge in popularity.

― Back up the lesbian canoe (Laurel), Monday, 23 May 2011 13:34 (fourteen years ago)

It's all very complicated!

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Monday, 23 May 2011 13:37 (fourteen years ago)

Or go for the truly visionary, like Myrtle, Gretchen, Ida, Bertha, Ethel. Or good Puritan virtue names? Charity, Chastity, Faith, Hope....

― Back up the lesbian canoe (Laurel), Monday, 23 May 2011 13:38 (fourteen years ago)

Think it would be good if someone updated the Puritan virtue names and had kids called, eg, Contingency, Irony and Solidarity.

― Stevie T, Monday, 23 May 2011 13:41 (fourteen years ago)

Gemstone names seem to be falling? I googled "unpopular girl's names" and Ruby and Pearl are showing up on a bunch of lists. Opal, Jade, Beryl, Chalcedony.

― Back up the lesbian canoe (Laurel), Monday, 23 May 2011 13:43 (fourteen years ago)

Just kidding about the last one.

― Back up the lesbian canoe (Laurel), Monday, 23 May 2011 13:43 (fourteen years ago)

Synergy xp

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Monday, 23 May 2011 13:44 (fourteen years ago)

Innouculation P. Bison

― remy bean, Monday, 23 May 2011 13:46 (fourteen years ago)

I've actually always loved the name Ruby. Pearl too tbh.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Monday, 23 May 2011 13:47 (fourteen years ago)

Before any rumors start - so definitely not pregnant now or any time soon. I just like thinking about this stuff.

I love my mom's middle name and would like to name a potential kidlet after that - Deliah - but she HATES it so I don't know if that would go down well.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Monday, 23 May 2011 13:55 (fourteen years ago)

My mom's middle name - Louise - has always been a frontrunner for me and my mom hates it. She even dropped her middle entirely to be First Maiden Married when she married my stepfather.

Although I do always profess to dislike women's names that are feminizations of traditionally male names (ie Phillipa, Ralpherina) so maybe I should just rethink the whole thing.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Monday, 23 May 2011 14:03 (fourteen years ago)

i always loved jakob. i'd considered that as a potential boy name since i was like, 12 years old or something. but i think now i would not do it.

― tehresa, Monday, 23 May 2011 14:23 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah, Jakob/Jacob is a great name but :( Twilight babies.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Monday, 23 May 2011 14:30 (fourteen years ago)

oh twilight wouldn't stop me, but the popularity issue. i went to school w/ so many maggies and mikes and jennifers that i would never want to give my kid a name so popular he had to be identified by last initial.

― tehresa, Monday, 23 May 2011 14:33 (fourteen years ago)

My sister is naming her kid after a Twilight character. On purpose. :(

― 'what are you, the Hymen Protection League of America?' (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 23 May 2011 14:35 (fourteen years ago)

Gemstone names seem to be falling? I googled "unpopular girl's names" and Ruby and Pearl are showing up on a bunch of lists.

Ruby is more popular now than it's been since the 1940s.

― jaymc, Monday, 23 May 2011 14:45 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah no I just mean that I think it's popular because of Twilight. There's a Jacob in there, right?

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Monday, 23 May 2011 14:47 (fourteen years ago)

I know someone named Jem Stone

― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Monday, 23 May 2011 14:50 (fourteen years ago)

Jem? Truly outrageous.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Monday, 23 May 2011 14:53 (fourteen years ago)

wait - did someone actually name a kid Ralpherina?

― sarahel, Monday, 23 May 2011 14:56 (fourteen years ago)

No, it was an joke somebody made on this this thread (I think) and it made me LOL and LOL.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Monday, 23 May 2011 15:01 (fourteen years ago)

Ralpharina was my screen name for a while. Maybe someone should popularize Garylene.

― 2010 = the year of (exactly) 500 Rogers! (La Lechera), Monday, 23 May 2011 15:25 (fourteen years ago)

Garyl

― 2010 = the year of (exactly) 500 Rogers! (La Lechera), Monday, 23 May 2011 15:25 (fourteen years ago)

Garolyn

― Garyln (La Lechera), Monday, 23 May 2011 15:28 (fourteen years ago)

I feel bad for daughters of men who wanted boys. I played little league baseball with a guy whose older sister was named Perry Ann.

― out to brunch (WmC), Monday, 23 May 2011 15:30 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah no I just mean that I think it's popular because of Twilight. There's a Jacob in there, right?

It was popular before Twilight. There's probably some chicken/egg stuff going on with Isabella and Twilight, but with Jacob, Meyer was already choosing the #1 boys' name in the country. (Possibly Twilight has *kept* it popular, though boys' names have traditionally been less prone to volatility.)

― jaymc, Monday, 23 May 2011 15:30 (fourteen years ago)

Why do we never get kings called Gary?

― broodje kroket (dog latin), Monday, 23 May 2011 15:30 (fourteen years ago)

Jaymc otm re: Twilight. The always imaginative S Meyer did not go too far outside of the norm to name her characters. Our hero is not named Gary or Greg.

Whatever happened to Gregory? I don't know any baby Gregs. G is a very unpopular letter these days.

― Garyln (La Lechera), Monday, 23 May 2011 15:33 (fourteen years ago)

Maybe people think they sound too much like Google.

― Garyln (La Lechera), Monday, 23 May 2011 15:34 (fourteen years ago)

My parents called me "Rebecca" in 1980 because it was "unusual"

guess what was the #1 girls' name in the UK from like 1978 to 1986 (can't be bothered to fact-check years but definitely the overall #1 for the 80s and I wasn't particularly ahead of the trend)

so many childhood sticky name labels with a last initial

but I guess it is hard to stay ahead of these trends - so many things my friends are naming kids make me go "really?" because the only people I know called that are in their 70s or 80s, and then they turn out to be quite popular now - everything is cyclical

― russ conway's game of life (a passing spacecadet), Monday, 23 May 2011 15:37 (fourteen years ago)

like, it was so bad w/ maggie that we had 2 maggie g's in my 7th grade class so we had to use full first and last names.

― tehresa, Monday, 23 May 2011 15:41 (fourteen years ago)

People who name their children aiden/jayden/kayden/grayson etc. are the most disgusting savages.

― Peyton Flanders (Nicole), Monday, 23 May 2011 15:41 (fourteen years ago)

I had friends naming their daughters Isabella/Bella since way before Twilight. Seems like it's been on the rise since the late 90s.

― kate78, Monday, 23 May 2011 15:44 (fourteen years ago)

Like a passing space cadet's parents, my mom swears she named me Jennifer in the early 70s bc she did not know anybody with that name.

I have a couple female family members with names that are clumsily feminized versions of their fathers' names, ie D0ni@, with a dad named Don.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Monday, 23 May 2011 15:48 (fourteen years ago)

reminds of the Kevina joke in Just one of the Guys

― mizzell, Monday, 23 May 2011 15:49 (fourteen years ago)

yeah my sister-in-law has a beagle named Bella and that was surely pre-twilight. she also had a king charles spaniel which she almost named Paris and that was before anyone knew who paris hilton was. CRAZY xxp

Although I do always profess to dislike women's names that are feminizations of traditionally male names (ie Phillipa, Ralpherina) so maybe I should just rethink the whole thing.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Monday, May 23, 2011 9:03 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark

yesterday i was looking to see how many Henry's were born the year my son was born (2009). I did a Ctrl-F for Henry and saw the number - 5!!!! FIVE Henry's in all 2009! It seemed unthinkable but then I looked a little to the left and realized these were girls named Henry. They didn't even try to feminize it. Kind of LOL but mostly great, right?

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:04 (fourteen years ago)

When Beeps had her ballet recital, where the kids were all 3 and 4, there were 4 Carolines in her class of approx 14 kids.

oh and maybe you guys can settle a long standing disagreement between PP and I. One of us thinks Ivy is a boys name and one doesn't. What do you think? Boy or Girl?

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:09 (fourteen years ago)

Uh WHUT?? Girl, obviously.

― Back up the lesbian canoe (Laurel), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:11 (fourteen years ago)

clearly a girl's name

gaming agrees:

http://spawnio.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ivy-soul3art.jpg

― I HAVE ISSUES (DJP), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:17 (fourteen years ago)

Ivy is def a girl's name.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:28 (fourteen years ago)

i know a dude who is an enormous yankee fan. i was disappointed when he did not name his daughter dereka

― mookieproof, Monday, 23 May 2011 22:28 (fourteen years ago)

I mean c'mon now

http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/yasfx/default/drew-barrymore-poison-ivy--large-msg-128865624364.jpg

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:29 (fourteen years ago)

btw I am still traumatized by the scene in that movie where Tom Skerritt goes down on her. *shudders*

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:30 (fourteen years ago)

I had managed to forget about that

― I HAVE ISSUES (DJP), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:30 (fourteen years ago)

In the woods on the hood of the car. That mustache. It's just not right.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:31 (fourteen years ago)

Ivy is for girls. Ivo is for boys.

― delivers maximum wtf per cubic second (suzy), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:33 (fourteen years ago)

I actually sort of love the name Ivy.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:34 (fourteen years ago)

way too much baggage IMO

― Tom Skerrit Mustache Ride (DJP), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:35 (fourteen years ago)

My favorite name for a girl is Anna Maria and if I have a child someday.... but boys names I have no idea which ones I like.

― JacobSanders, Monday, 23 May 2011 22:42 (fourteen years ago)

Veronica seems to be distinctly unpopular with white people at the moment (latinas on the other hand...)

I wanted to name our daughter something unusual, classical, but also with roots in the family (kinda cheated on that, but Veronica being a variation of Bernice is close enough for me). it seems to have worked out well so far.

― metally ill (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:49 (fourteen years ago)

I like Ivy, but it's no name for a poodle. <------not a child, but the only life form I can see myself getting to name.

― delivers maximum wtf per cubic second (suzy), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:50 (fourteen years ago)

Veronica is my confirmation name after my grandmother who I never got to meet. I love it and would definitely consider it for a girl.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:52 (fourteen years ago)

i absolutely love the name veronica! not so hot on the shortened 'ronnie' but veronica is aces

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Monday, 23 May 2011 23:02 (fourteen years ago)

lol sometimes people here it and say "wow you must be a big Elvis Costello fan" and I'm like "uh..."
http://hilobrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ronnie.jpg

(middle name is Rose. if she wants to get all southern rocker when she grows up, she'll have that option lol)

― metally ill (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 23 May 2011 23:06 (fourteen years ago)

http://www.mamapop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Veronica-Sawyer-Croquet-Heathers-Winona-Ryder-300x170.png

― mookieproof, Monday, 23 May 2011 23:11 (fourteen years ago)

lol

― metally ill (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 23 May 2011 23:12 (fourteen years ago)

I think boy's names for girls are a good look, in general! I was almost named Danielle, which I can't stand tbh but to be called Danny for short would be awes.

― Back up the lesbian canoe (Laurel), Monday, 23 May 2011 23:12 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah, contradictorily, I like boy's names for girls, too. Part of the appeal for Louise was to call the kid "Lou" for short.

Ivy is definitely a girl's name. Also there are generations of men in my family named Paris, including small children who were born after Ms. Hilton became famous.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 00:33 (fourteen years ago)

Baby names of my (UK) friends over the past year or so:
Jacob
Stanley
Edward
Edgar
Elliot
Isabelle
Daisy
Ava Rose
Evie

Much as I like these girls' names, I'd feel so weird jumping on the Ava/Eve 'bandwagon'. When I was at school all the girls were p much called Emma, Sarah, Becky, Katherine, Joanna, and Rachel.

― kinder, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 01:10 (fourteen years ago)

My parents called me "Rebecca" in 1980 because it was "unusual"

guess what was the #1 girls' name in the UK from like 1978 to 1986 (can't be bothered to fact-check years but definitely the overall #1 for the 80s and I wasn't particularly ahead of the trend)

Ha, that's funny. In fact, Harvard sociologist Stanley Lieberson recounts a similar experience in his study of baby names, A Matter of Taste -- with the name Rebecca no less!:

My wife and I are a conventional couple; when our first child was born, we gave her a name. Although we didn't know it, other parents were choosing the same name for their daughters. We found out soon enough, though; from nursery school on, our Rebecca almost invariably encountered peers with the same name. What intrigued me was that neither my wife nor I had had any idea that we were picking such a popular name. We and these other parents, without talking about it, were "independently" reaching the same decision at the same time. Obviously, the choice was not independent -- it had to reflect social influence. But it seemed as if something "in the air" was leading different parents to make the same choices.

Later in the book, he examines the specific factors that led to the name Rebecca being bestowed on vast numbers of children in both the U.K. and U.S. starting around the 1970s -- including the gradual popularity of Old Testament names for girls, the trendy schwa ending, and several big movies featuring characters named Rebecca.

The thing is, I think now that all the stats are online, a lot of parents are actually really conscious of trying to stay ahead of the trends. I feel like everyone I know who's had kids within the last few years knew where their favorite names placed and in some cases made decisions based on the data. Although that's probably just a particular set of educated Internet-savvy parents, though.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 01:36 (fourteen years ago)

^^^^good post! I didn't know I was interested in babby naming until jaymc, tbh.

I'm not planning to do any babby naming, but "Holly" appeals to me were I called upon to name spawn, after my mom. Her first name is Elizabeth. Holly was short for Holland, her middle name.

― quincie, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 01:45 (fourteen years ago)

i like that!

― tehresa, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 01:56 (fourteen years ago)

Just watch, there will be a huge rash of Hollys come 2012! None mine.

― quincie, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 01:59 (fourteen years ago)

ps imo ivy is for girls. yvves is for boys. eve is for girls, too.

― tehresa, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 02:10 (fourteen years ago)

er, yves.

― tehresa, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 02:10 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah I love the name Holly.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 02:11 (fourteen years ago)

Grayson is a classic name, due largely in part to this guy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTFKROPkhRc

― and the suggest banned tweeted on (dayo), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 02:21 (fourteen years ago)

i'm naming my imaginary kid aloysius snuffleupagus banana

― nuclear power, jet propulsion, radar, laser beams, cordless phone (abanana), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 02:37 (fourteen years ago)

my ex once had a dream that i was cheating on her with a woman named louise. the only louise i know, though, is louise erdrich, who is indeed pretty foxy but perhaps a little old for me

― mookieproof, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 06:20 (fourteen years ago)

Friends' and relations' recently-birthed kids' names: Ewart, Louis, Lilly, Ayla, Iris, Grace, Maxfield, Julia, Catherine, Holly, Isla Blue. The last child has cousins named Phoenix and Honor. /sighfashionpeople

For 'Grayson' can't help it but I always think of Grayson Perry:

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/02/15/perry_wideweb__430x315.jpg

― delivers maximum wtf per cubic second (suzy), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 07:41 (fourteen years ago)

Our daughter is Veronica Róisín, which suggests we had some implausible mindmeld with Shakey Mo.

― Stevie T, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 07:55 (fourteen years ago)

Amidst all the talk about Isabella, I had forgotten that circa 1993 I wanted to name a future daughter Bella after Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.

― yoga pants (candlecart), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 08:49 (fourteen years ago)

Oh man.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 12:09 (fourteen years ago)

Friends' kids: Kiely, Atticus, Stella, Jonah, Eva, Julia, Thora, Rowan, Evelyn, Isaki, Eloise, Amelie, Lucas, Maeve, Beatrice, Cordelia, Elinor, Elanor, Oliver, Ayla, Lavinia, Gwendolyn, Desmond.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 12:43 (fourteen years ago)

Not a lot of boys there

― Tom D has taken many months to run this thread to ground (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 12:46 (fourteen years ago)

Of the people I know in roughly the same cohort there have been three Oscars, a Dylan, a George, an Erol and a Noah. No girls that I can think of.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 12:50 (fourteen years ago)

The appeal of Oscar escapes me. Depends on the surname of course.

― Tom D has taken many months to run this thread to ground (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 12:52 (fourteen years ago)

jaymce, do you know a lot of poncey people?

― remy bean, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 12:52 (fourteen years ago)

I didn't want to say but... not a lot council house tenants there I suspect

― Tom D has taken many months to run this thread to ground (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 12:53 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah, I don't get why Oscar is so popular. It doesn't strike me as a particularly pleasing name. And the references are either Oscar Wilde, which is über-bourgeois pretention, or, uh, Oscar the Grouch, which is... fine, I guess? But I can't think of any other desirable Oscars to name one's progeny after. Oscar and Dylan have struck me as the most up and coming 'trendy' names of the past few years, though.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:00 (fourteen years ago)

Most of the parents are people I went to college with. Not particularly poncey! But I think this is the deal now: people are more interested than ever before in giving their children names that seem special/unique.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:02 (fourteen years ago)

can't think of anything i'd wanted to post itt that i wouldn't be obliged to crosspost to that thing white ppl do when they disparage 'white ppl'

― nakhchivan, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:02 (fourteen years ago)

Old fashioned (sort of proley) names are popular: there's two Stanleys I know of + a Sidney

― Tom D has taken many months to run this thread to ground (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:03 (fourteen years ago)

I know: Dora, David, Paige, Tillie (Mathilda), Otto, Arlo (2x), Teagan, Tuva, Kasper, Holly, Ruby, Edgar, Albert, Molly

― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:04 (fourteen years ago)

i would disparage all those wite ppls

― nakhchivan, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:05 (fourteen years ago)

Edgar? Blimey. And Albert. Yeah that fits with the Edwardian vogue.

― Tom D has taken many months to run this thread to ground (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:06 (fourteen years ago)

Still waiting for Ethel, Gladys and Edna to make a comeback

― Tom D has taken many months to run this thread to ground (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:07 (fourteen years ago)

It's really all about how the first name pairs with the last name. Maybe you guys don't like Jayden but what if it was

JAYDEN RAYNE

― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:07 (fourteen years ago)

KACEY LACEWELL

― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:07 (fourteen years ago)

GRAYSON BATES

― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:08 (fourteen years ago)

For 'Grayson' can't help it but I always think of Grayson Perry

I think of him too and it's not a good thing. ha.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:11 (fourteen years ago)

One of my friends has this hippie sister who named her 3 boys Summit, Winter and Ocean. They live in Colorado/Costa Rica and are these gorgeous blonde little surfing dynamos so the names fit but still.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:13 (fourteen years ago)

pornstar names, all of them

― and the suggest banned tweeted on (dayo), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:16 (fourteen years ago)

but yeah cosign the oscar hate, the hard 'k' sound in the middle is awful, and there's no good short form besides O (btw oscar robertson is an acceptable choice if you were to answer "which oscar did you name your son after")

― and the suggest banned tweeted on (dayo), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:17 (fourteen years ago)

I've always wanted to name my future daughter 'bell' or 'belle', because bells make pretty sounds, but it's been tainted by twilight and belle & sebastian

― and the suggest banned tweeted on (dayo), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:18 (fourteen years ago)

So many people of my generation seem to have been lumbered with parents who just picked any damned name, rather than going with family ones or something that might suggest they'd read one (1) book. I really hate surnames as forenames unless the name is grabbed from an ancestor. My grandmother's cousin - the rich one - gave very strong hints to my mom that I should have been named Rosamond, which would be much better for a middle name than the one I was given.

With my friends, the middle names are where it gets interesting. My best friend's oldest goes by Bella, but that's a shortening of her middle name - Arabella (her given name is Elizabeth). The Lilly mentioned above is Lilly Star Willow; Ewart's other names are John Avebury.

― delivers maximum wtf per cubic second (suzy), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:19 (fourteen years ago)

i like oscar!!

― tehresa, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:22 (fourteen years ago)

I like Oscar, but for a dog.

― delivers maximum wtf per cubic second (suzy), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:23 (fourteen years ago)

hah i did have a college roommate with a cat named oscar.

oscar seems like a cute, mischievous kid to me.

― tehresa, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:24 (fourteen years ago)

x-posts lol my middle name is from a book but the character is nuts - thanks mom!

Yeah, I really like the name Oscar.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:24 (fourteen years ago)

But I think more because I think it's a ridiculous and adorable name for a small child rather than actually liking the name.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:25 (fourteen years ago)

my aunt is called by a character from a book... that my mother picked out... when she was 3. while her actual name is lovely, it must really suck to be someone in her 50s that everyone calls muffie :(

― tehresa, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:26 (fourteen years ago)

I like Oscar, but for a dog.

― delivers maximum wtf per cubic second (suzy)

yeah, i knew a lovely dumb labrador named Oscar and now get really confused at the idea that it's a human name.

― c sharp major, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:27 (fourteen years ago)

Gemstone names seem to be falling? I googled "unpopular girl's names" and Ruby and Pearl are showing up on a bunch of lists. Opal, Jade, Beryl, Chalcedony.

― Back up the lesbian canoe (Laurel), Monday, 23 May 2011 09:43 (Yesterday)

I just had a vision of some computer nerd naming his two daughters Ruby and Perl

― peter in montreal, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:30 (fourteen years ago)

brother named Python

― and the suggest banned tweeted on (dayo), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:31 (fourteen years ago)

xpost to self: my aunt and cousins have been using the 'edwardian debutante names' system for naming their dogs all of my life so I spend quite a lot of time thinking people are talking about puppies when they are actually talking about babies.

― c sharp major, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:32 (fourteen years ago)

Lots of pets these days with names that are also popular for babies: Bella, Chloe, Oliver, Max, Lucy, Sophie.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:44 (fourteen years ago)

Carlotta and I have three boys - Elia, Giona and Tobia.
I lobbied hard for Ezechiele (just like my great grandfather), but for some reason my wife was unshakeable in her no.

― Marco Damiani, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:50 (fourteen years ago)

Carlotta!

wonderful

― nakhchivan, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:50 (fourteen years ago)

Lots of pets these days with names that are also popular for babies: Bella, Chloe, Oliver, Max, Lucy, Sophie.

The people who name their pets these sort of things also put barrettes in their hair and send them to doggie spas. :(

I was at the vet a last month and a guy was their with his rat terrier "hate the breed name because it sounds so gross" named Sophia Elizabeth and he called her by both names. It was simultaneously hilarious and disturbing.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:54 (fourteen years ago)

xpost
Carlotta is a great name indeed!

― Marco Damiani, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:55 (fourteen years ago)

E - my dog Max has never once had a barette in his hair! ;P

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:00 (fourteen years ago)

also Max is one of the best dog names in the world because then you can call him Maxster i.e. "in English, Baxter, you know I don't speak Spanish.." ..which I tell him daily.

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:01 (fourteen years ago)

My sister's dog's name is Simon, which is a stupid bloody name for a dog, but she didn't name it

― Tom D has taken many months to run this thread to ground (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:01 (fourteen years ago)

Oscar Bluth

I prob said so already on this thread, but we named one of our cats Francie (Black Francis, actually, but Francie for short) and now I kind of regret that bc I really like the name Frances/Francie for a human child.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:05 (fourteen years ago)

http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/movie-assholes2/francis-buxton.jpg

― and the suggest banned tweeted on (dayo), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:06 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah, that's a drawback to the name.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:07 (fourteen years ago)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51a3AglO8eL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

― Tom D has taken many months to run this thread to ground (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:07 (fourteen years ago)

^ Only instance I know of the name "Francie"

― Tom D has taken many months to run this thread to ground (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:09 (fourteen years ago)

The main character in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is named Francie, which is why I like it.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:17 (fourteen years ago)

Also it lends itself to fun nicknames, like "Francie Pants." Which is also something I call the cat.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:18 (fourteen years ago)

"E - my dog Max has never once had a barette in his hair! ;P

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Tuesday, May 24, 2011 10:00 AM (26 minutes ago) Bookmark"

Max is a fine name for a dog imo. I was thinking more of the girl names tbh.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:28 (fourteen years ago)

I acutally really like the name Max. My cousin in Germany's kid is called Max. His full name is the best/most ridiculous name ever. Maximilian Krutzenbich!er. Now that's a mouthful.

― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:30 (fourteen years ago)

I liked Max until Megan started watching the cartoon Max & Ruby. Now I can think of is child-lepus from hell when I hear that name.

― Peyton Flanders (Nicole), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:32 (fourteen years ago)

i like frances because it is my grandfather's middle name and could be used for a girl or a boy. but i don't think i like francie or frannie.

― tehresa, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:36 (fourteen years ago)

Or Fran

― Tom D has taken many months to run this thread to ground (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:37 (fourteen years ago)

I like Oscar, but for a dog.

My youngest child is called Oscar (or Oz) and my older one is called Bill. I tried to get the wife to agree to call the dog either Geezer or Tony but she wasn't having any of it. I think she might have seen through my scheme...

― immer wieder, ralf & günther (NickB), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:38 (fourteen years ago)

Excellent

― Tom D has taken many months to run this thread to ground (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:40 (fourteen years ago)

names chosen by my family/bf's family: emma (x2), violet, max, jax (all i can think of is general hospital), lily.

a former roommate just named her baby the name i chose at least 15 years ago for my future girlbaby. this name has also gotten pretty popular lately and it's upsetting to me but i think i will still use it. i will not speak of it much tough, lest more people name their girls this.

― tehresa, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:41 (fourteen years ago)

Lots (lots!) of Oscars in Latin America -- my personal experience has introduced loads more Spanish-speaking Oscars (many) than Isabellas (0).

― Garyln (La Lechera), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:48 (fourteen years ago)

My sister's dogs are Max and Barney (Max is a perennial dog name). My mom's poodles were/are: Nick, Sam, Tuffy, Casey (x 2), Molly, Willie. I wanted Willie to be named Oscar because of what Willie means in 95 per cent of the English-speaking world, but I was vetoed.

Right now, when I get a poodle the plan is to choose from one of the following names: Sasha, Stella, Zazie.

― delivers maximum wtf per cubic second (suzy), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:52 (fourteen years ago)

Zazie!

― c sharp major, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:57 (fourteen years ago)

that is an excellent poodle name.

― c sharp major, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:57 (fourteen years ago)

Just realized tonight that I have at least five friends with babies or toddlers named Henry. Ran it by people on facebook and they said they know a bunch of little Henrys too. WTF? How did this name make such a resurgence when I wasn't looking?

― Johnny Fever, Monday, 30 May 2011 03:39 (fourteen years ago)

i know an 11-year-old named henry and it's been right up there since then

― mookieproof, Monday, 30 May 2011 03:44 (fourteen years ago)

I guess I just haven't been paying attention.

― Johnny Fever, Monday, 30 May 2011 04:02 (fourteen years ago)

This seems to be the thread for people whose friends are spawning, so, to whom do I address the envelope for this new baby card which I need to put in the post? To the parents or to the child?

(And if the latter, is the title "master" hopelessly antiquated, and if so, what do I use instead? Possibility of ducking the question with "the Smith family" sadly void as parents have different surnames)

And, to keep it vaguely on-topic, the baby is a N0ah C0sm0, which seems a bit over-the-top to me but I get quite a few Google results for that combination, so I guess neither name will be quite the playground curse it would've been in my generation, and maybe their pairing is a pop culture reference I don't get.

― sambal dalek (a passing spacecadet), Tuesday, 7 June 2011 09:43 (fourteen years ago)

haha

if it were me i'd address it to the child's full name

― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 7 June 2011 09:57 (fourteen years ago)

I don't know. Who is the card intended for? Is it all, "Welcome to the world, little one!" or is it "Congratulations on your new baby, parents!" I'd go with whichever seemed appropriate. Or just write small and put everybody's name on there.

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Tuesday, 7 June 2011 12:27 (fourteen years ago)

keep in mind that if the card is intended for the baby, it doesn't matter what you put because babies can't read

― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 7 June 2011 12:32 (fourteen years ago)

"Dear Baby, Fuck you, you can't read. HAHAHA LOL! Love, a passing space cadet"

― phantoms from a world gone by speak again the immortal tale: (Jenny), Tuesday, 7 June 2011 12:34 (fourteen years ago)

jeez why not call yr kid Ezekiel Ali Bongo and been done?

― aka best bum of the o_O's (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 7 June 2011 12:36 (fourteen years ago)

I shall draw a picture of an ark and a women's magazine (or a puppet from 80s British pre-school kids' tv show You and Me, if I feel whimsical) and trust the postman to find the right place to take it

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/4564/71096195393217010744444.jpg

― sambal dalek (a passing spacecadet), Tuesday, 7 June 2011 12:45 (fourteen years ago)

one month passes...

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/rankchange.html

Your fastest-growing male and female baby names for the year 2010: http://i.imgur.com/DftE5.jpg

― del griffith, Friday, 8 July 2011 18:47 (fourteen years ago)

bentley? enzo? zayden? brycen?

― mookieproof, Friday, 8 July 2011 18:53 (fourteen years ago)

Cullen

ugh.

― jackie tretorn (elmo argonaut), Friday, 8 July 2011 19:02 (fourteen years ago)

Enzo is a sweet name. Bentley sounds like the name people who have only named dogs before would give a kid.

― mizzell, Friday, 8 July 2011 20:00 (fourteen years ago)

lol at Armani

― mizzell, Friday, 8 July 2011 20:03 (fourteen years ago)

Brycen

― tylerw, Friday, 8 July 2011 20:11 (fourteen years ago)

reagan and raegan!

― tehresa, Friday, 8 July 2011 21:42 (fourteen years ago)

Enzo too much like Skinzo, scally character in sitcom 'Pulling'.
Can't see 'Brooks' lasting too long but then that's what people have been saying for two days now...

― kinder, Friday, 8 July 2011 21:59 (fourteen years ago)

Rank change on its own is a flawed measurement.

As Laura Wattenberg points out, "There were 256 more Eloises born last year, and that name rose 383 places in rank. But there were 3,734 more Sophias born, and Sophia only rose 2 places in rank -- insignificant, by the SSA's reckoning."

She uses a formula that balances percentage change with absolute change.

More here:
http://www.babynamewizard.com/archives/2011/5/the-fastest-rising-baby-names-of-2010-triumph-of-the-teen-mom

― jaymc, Saturday, 9 July 2011 03:59 (fourteen years ago)

one month passes...

The Baby Name Wizard blog has a couple of interesting posts on American vs. British baby names, with the conclusion that distinctly British names are more cutesy and distinctly American names are more formal:

http://www.babynamewizard.com/archives/2011/8/british-baby-names-vs-american-baby-names
http://www.babynamewizard.com/archives/2011/8/british-baby-names-vs-american-baby-names-part-2

I also liked this bit:

[The name Alfie] is virtually unknown in the U.S., given to only 6 American boys last year. (Other boys' names tied at 6 include Jagjot, Ifeanyichukwu, and Awesome.)

― jaymc, Wednesday, 10 August 2011 15:06 (thirteen years ago)

Awesome is a lot to live up to

― thick-necked and hateful (latebloomer), Wednesday, 10 August 2011 16:35 (thirteen years ago)

So is Jagjot, tbh.

― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Wednesday, 10 August 2011 16:49 (thirteen years ago)

The other one looks like "Imfuckinwitchu."

― Sugar-coated Satan Sandwich (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 10 August 2011 16:53 (thirteen years ago)

Jagjot appears to be Punjabi/Sikh in origin. Ifeanyichukwu is Igbo (Nigerian).

― jaymc, Wednesday, 10 August 2011 16:58 (thirteen years ago)

i foresee a lifetime of spelling out their name 3 times to every receptionist they meet and more often than not, at least partially, in the NATO phonetic alphabet.

― Serial Chiller (sunny successor), Thursday, 11 August 2011 14:43 (thirteen years ago)

personally i plan on naming my next child "Tango Alpha"

― Dark Noises from the Eurozone (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 11 August 2011 15:04 (thirteen years ago)

Why does it say 'The individual country lists only run 100 names deep, insufficient for this analysis.'? I thought the same .xls had the full lists for England & Wales.

― kinder, Thursday, 11 August 2011 18:56 (thirteen years ago)

The .xls (found here) has a full list of thousands of names for England and Wales collectively, but the breakdown for each individual country only goes to 100.

― jaymc, Thursday, 11 August 2011 19:23 (thirteen years ago)

eight months pass...

If I meet a baby named Peeta, I am going to weep for humanity.

― Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson (Nicole), Wednesday, 11 April 2012 19:12 (thirteen years ago)

Jesus, Pamela Redmond Satran is such a publicity whore.

― Cuba Pudding, Jr. (jaymc), Wednesday, 11 April 2012 19:19 (thirteen years ago)

Get ready for some weeping nicole because that my sister's name

― fine with 49 (sunny successor), Thursday, 12 April 2012 14:43 (thirteen years ago)

that sounds a bit like your sister's name is Weeping Nicole

― kinder, Thursday, 12 April 2012 16:54 (thirteen years ago)

which sounds like an alt rock band

― fka snush (remy bean), Thursday, 12 April 2012 16:54 (thirteen years ago)

Jack White & PJ Harvey supergroup, Weeping Nicole

― kinder, Thursday, 12 April 2012 16:57 (thirteen years ago)

some of the names from game of thrones (universe) i kind of like. "bran" is a very neutral, kind of warm name - tho it's likely any kid named that would forever get shit, in the same vein that a friend from HS w/ the surname "leavengood" was never not referred to as leaven-bread

― kelpolaris, Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:08 (thirteen years ago)

I do like some of the names from the game of thrones universe but so many of the characters end up dying horribly or living torturous lives I can't see naming a child after one of them.

Peeta as a girl name doesn't seem as bad as it would as a boy name, for some reason?

― Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson (Nicole), Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:20 (thirteen years ago)

Maybe b/c girls' names are far more likely to end in an "-a" or "-ah," and the ones for boys are generally Old Testament names like Noah and Joshua?

― Cuba Pudding, Jr. (jaymc), Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:29 (thirteen years ago)

I also really, really like the name Cersei. It looks and sounds nice.

― kelpolaris, Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:30 (thirteen years ago)

and isn't overtly feminine as something like "Cerseia" would be. i'm sure there's more profound studies than what i call a hunch, but names always seem to define the person & personality. aside from what they inherit for looks, anyways.

― kelpolaris, Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:31 (thirteen years ago)

Actually, "Peeta" made me curious to find the highest-ranking boys' name ending in "-a" or "-ah" that's not in the (English) Bible. It's Luca, at #272. (Which, as a version of Luke, is presumably in Bibles printed in Italy/Romania/etc.) After that: Dakota, at #293.

― Cuba Pudding, Jr. (jaymc), Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:33 (thirteen years ago)

i've read the books but not watched any of the series, is it pronounced like Circe? xp

― i think this is serious (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:36 (thirteen years ago)

it's "serrsy". kinda masculine, and at the same time definitely has a tinge of the feminine. altho admittedly it just brings to mind "sissy" or "sassy", which both carry pretty negative connotations - but it's not the character is a very admirable one.

ok, maybe not the greatest baby name.

― kelpolaris, Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:42 (thirteen years ago)

re pee-tah:

http://i.imgur.com/MroWH.png

― Philip Nunez, Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:59 (thirteen years ago)

i feel like 50% of all boys born in the last five years have been named either "Aiden", "Braden", "Ayden", "Brayden", or "Aiydyn"

― Estimate the percent chance that a whale has ever been to the moon? (frogbs), Thursday, 12 April 2012 18:03 (thirteen years ago)

Circe maybe not the best mythological reference for a child

― Jilly Boel and the Eltones (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 12 April 2012 18:04 (thirteen years ago)

don't forget jayden and jaden
xp

― mizzell, Thursday, 12 April 2012 18:20 (thirteen years ago)

wow, 12 pairs of twins named Aiden and Jayden, and 12 other pairs of twins named Jayden and Kayden.

― mizzell, Friday, May 7, 2010 4:48 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― mizzell, Thursday, 12 April 2012 18:21 (thirteen years ago)

caden or cayden or caidan. there's probably a quaiden out there.

― tylerw, Thursday, 12 April 2012 18:22 (thirteen years ago)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1c/Raiden_mkvsdc.jpg/125px-Raiden_mkvsdc.jpg

― Jilly Boel and the Eltones (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 12 April 2012 18:24 (thirteen years ago)

i feel like 50% of all boys born in the last five years have been named either "Aiden", "Braden", "Ayden", "Brayden", or "Aiydyn"

Part of an overall trend whereby boys' names increasingly end in the letter N. From the 2006 data for the U.S.:

http://www.babynamewizard.com/images/last-letters-boys-2006.gif

― Cuba Pudding, Jr. (jaymc), Thursday, 12 April 2012 18:29 (thirteen years ago)

I hate all of those names, they are the Mikaylas and Nevaehs of boy names.

― Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson (Nicole), Thursday, 12 April 2012 18:48 (thirteen years ago)

must be a dearth of Jeffs

― Estimate the percent chance that a whale has ever been to the moon? (frogbs), Thursday, 12 April 2012 18:51 (thirteen years ago)

Every name is hateable or loveable. Names are devoid of content, so that we supply utterly arbitrary associations that determine how we feel about them.

― Aimless, Thursday, 12 April 2012 18:56 (thirteen years ago)

I assumed Cersei was a boy's name pronounced something like 'Sir-sigh'. Circe is still pretty cool, though.

― emil.y, Thursday, 12 April 2012 19:09 (thirteen years ago)

jesus, what a dolt i am. it's "cer-say" (sir-say), not surrsy. i was doing some weird vowel stretching at the time of that last post + that's how i pronounced it in my head until seeing the tv show.

― kelpolaris, Thursday, 12 April 2012 21:00 (thirteen years ago)

Maybe b/c girls' names are far more likely to end in an "-a" or "-ah," and the ones for boys are generally Old Testament names like Noah and Joshua?
--Cuba Pudding, Jr. (jaymc)

Joanna, Diana, Maria, Donna, Julia …

― i love the large auns pictures! (Phil D.), Thursday, 12 April 2012 21:16 (thirteen years ago)

Names are devoid of content, so that we supply utterly arbitrary associations that determine how we feel about them.

Nomen est omen.

― i think this is serious (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 12 April 2012 21:42 (thirteen years ago)

Names are devoid of content, so that we supply utterly arbitrary associations that determine how we feel about them.

What? Names aren't just random syllables, they're words that have evolved alongside language. A name has etomology! Its associations are historical and cultural, not arbitrary!

― franny glass, Thursday, 12 April 2012 22:02 (thirteen years ago)

would you guys rather be named at random from a pool of names featuring jaden and mikayla, or a pool of names consisting of daniel manus pinkwater characters?

― Philip Nunez, Thursday, 12 April 2012 22:33 (thirteen years ago)

I'll take Winston Bongo

― Jilly Boel and the Eltones (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 12 April 2012 22:35 (thirteen years ago)

what if you got Honorable Lama Lumpo Smythe-Finkel?
hm... Bentley Saunders Harrison Matthews looks like it could belong in either list.

― Philip Nunez, Thursday, 12 April 2012 22:52 (thirteen years ago)

Hamish MacTavish

― does Red Stripe work like poppers? (Abbbottt), Friday, 13 April 2012 02:03 (thirteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

Really baby name central? Realy????

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/6550/screenshot20120428at111.png

― fine with 49 (sunny successor), Sunday, 29 April 2012 04:09 (thirteen years ago)

good name for a cat, tho

― mookieproof, Sunday, 29 April 2012 04:13 (thirteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

http://holykaw.alltop.com/102-of-the-most-unusual-baby-of-names-of-2011

― tehresa, Sunday, 20 May 2012 03:31 (thirteen years ago)

How can woody be as unpopular as "tron"?

― this guy's a gangsta? his real name's mittens. (Hurting 2), Sunday, 20 May 2012 03:34 (thirteen years ago)

u put a drawstring talking cowboy next to a light cycle and u tell me you wouldn't pick the light cycle if u were a 15 year old dad?

― he bit me (it felt like a diss) (m bison), Sunday, 20 May 2012 03:36 (thirteen years ago)

Tron and trek: nerd baby boom?

― tehresa, Sunday, 20 May 2012 04:04 (thirteen years ago)

my friend from college had twin girls in Feb: their names are Emoke-Lou and Betty-Byrd

― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 20 May 2012 06:47 (thirteen years ago)

wtf is wrong with people

― Johnny Fever, Sunday, 20 May 2012 06:48 (thirteen years ago)

they will be in a band at some point. It's the only answer.

― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 20 May 2012 06:51 (thirteen years ago)

hard lols when I got to "benjerman".

― Lee Morgan Come Again (how's life), Sunday, 20 May 2012 09:24 (thirteen years ago)

wkiw a boy named cypher and a girl named mystery

― the minister of RAILWAYS (reddening), Sunday, 20 May 2012 21:21 (thirteen years ago)

Baby names meanings search results : Haverchuck
Search result : There are 0 names

― slugbuggy, Sunday, 20 May 2012 21:38 (thirteen years ago)

i'm also liking "biv devoe" as a middle names construction, like hannah biv devoe wilkinson or jordan biv devoe o'neill.

― slugbuggy, Sunday, 20 May 2012 21:43 (thirteen years ago)

Juvenal is a perfectly normal name afaik -- I've known several. 12 of them seems pretty low, really.

― game of crones (La Lechera), Sunday, 20 May 2012 22:00 (thirteen years ago)

"seven girls named eh," the new mike doughty single

― the minister of RAILWAYS (reddening), Sunday, 20 May 2012 22:08 (thirteen years ago)

If I meet a baby named Peeta, I am going to weep for humanity.

― Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson (Nicole), Wednesday, April 11, 2012 2:12 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Get ready for some weeping nicole because that my sister's name

― fine with 49 (sunny successor), Thursday, April 12, 2012 9:43 AM (1 month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i forgot to say my sis' name is spelled Petah

― fine with 49 (sunny successor), Monday, 21 May 2012 01:23 (thirteen years ago)

also her sons name is Jeshua for ref. on the whole ending in -a and -ah deal

― fine with 49 (sunny successor), Monday, 21 May 2012 01:24 (thirteen years ago)

and Jeshua's son is named Paignter but lets not get into that

― fine with 49 (sunny successor), Monday, 21 May 2012 01:25 (thirteen years ago)

no do the begats! do the begats! :)

― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 21 May 2012 01:27 (thirteen years ago)

Paignter is only 10 so he is yet to begat. sorry, dude.

― fine with 49 (sunny successor), Monday, 21 May 2012 01:29 (thirteen years ago)

heavan isn't too far away

― kneel aurmstrong (harbl), Monday, 21 May 2012 01:48 (thirteen years ago)

one month passes...

Not baby names exactly but in my new job there are so many people with the same names! Out of 270+ staff there are only less than 80 unique first names - one name is shared by 10 people. All Davids and Richards and Rachels. Even a quite unusual name, there's two of. Then today I noticed there are tons of the same surnames as well. 17 surnames are shared with at least one other person. It is very confusing.

― kinder, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 17:19 (thirteen years ago)

one month passes...

New data released for England & Wales 2011. Harry & Amelia now top. How did Riley get to no. 13 for boys? Lexi and Lexie have jumped over 1000 places each for girls.
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/baby-names--england-and-wales/2011/index.html

― kinder, Monday, 13 August 2012 22:21 (twelve years ago)

I have a longstanding dream of naming a son Emmett. Wife hates it. :(

― bert yansh (Hurting 2), Monday, 13 August 2012 22:30 (twelve years ago)

The only drawback for me is that it reminds me of Emmett Till, and being named after a famous victim seems kind of sucky.

― bert yansh (Hurting 2), Monday, 13 August 2012 22:31 (twelve years ago)

Noticed the E&W list but haven't had a chance to chew it over. Planning to blog about it soon.

― doglatting (jaymc), Monday, 13 August 2012 22:38 (twelve years ago)

Woo, Lexies making waves! Though Lexi always felt soooo precious to me, I prefer Lexy if we have to go stripper-themed.. Lex is my preference.

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Monday, 13 August 2012 22:40 (twelve years ago)

The only drawback for me is that it reminds me of Emmett Till, and being named after a famous victim seems kind of sucky.

I don't know your wife's reasons for not liking it, but Emmett is the name of a Twilight character so I can see wanting to avoid an association with that mess.

― NR’s resident heavy-metal expert (Nicole), Monday, 13 August 2012 22:49 (twelve years ago)

I've got a friend or two with an Emmett. Reminds me of this:
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb57525/muppet/images/9/9c/Jugband.JPG

― kate78, Monday, 13 August 2012 22:53 (twelve years ago)

emmett reminds of emmett kelly, the greatest clown

http://www.allaboutclowns.com/images/emmett-kelly-sr-21391773.jpg

― Hungry4 8-8 (brownie), Monday, 13 August 2012 23:01 (twelve years ago)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ce/Emmett_Grogan.jpg

Or Emmett Grogan of the Diggers.

― spanky hotel frogstrot (how's life), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 08:40 (twelve years ago)

good friends of mine named their son Emmett (they know nothing of Twilight or baby-name data) - he's 3 and a half now and just a totally great kid. Emmett has always somehow suited him. also they are org veg farmers.

― obliquity of the ecliptic (rrrobyn), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 12:28 (twelve years ago)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/97/Doc_Brown.JPG

― spanky hotel frogstrot (how's life), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 12:30 (twelve years ago)

one of the neat things about Emmett for me is that it sounds americana and countrified but also means "truth" in Hebrew. It's a much better combination of jewishness and folksiness than my previous idea: Isaac Bob

― bert yansh (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 14:40 (twelve years ago)

Holly (number 26 in the annual ranks), the second most popular name for girls in December (number 21 in January), fell to number 54 in July. Summer (number 34 in the annual ranks) reached number 14 in August but fell to number 71 in December.

i didn't know naming by season was a real thing

― 47 minutes, 7 seconds and 4 frames (sunny successor), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 17:06 (twelve years ago)

Hollys are normally born around Christmas, no? Or do I watch too many soaps...

― kinder, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 17:30 (twelve years ago)

I wonder about month names. I have 4 friends on my fbook feed who have infants named August and none of them were born in August. And what about Aprils, Mays, and Junes?

― kate78, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 17:34 (twelve years ago)

My friend April was born on May 1st. I think the story goes that her mother had already decided on the name, but April took her time arriving.

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 17:36 (twelve years ago)

I love the name June because of a late, great aunt.

Jeff and I were talking about virtue names the other night - Faith, Hope, Charity, Mercy

― ms. cookie (carl agatha), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 17:42 (twelve years ago)

We weren't really talking about them so much as saying it's a thing that people do.

Taken to the awesome extreme: http://thehairpin.com/2012/01/your-2012-baby-name-guide-puritan-edition

― ms. cookie (carl agatha), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 17:43 (twelve years ago)

Yeah I know twins called faith and hope

― kinder, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 17:47 (twelve years ago)

I would rather be an April born in a different month to an April actually born in April.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 17:53 (twelve years ago)

Constance, which I always forget is a virtue name. Chastity.

Why are all the month baby names after summer months? If I were to name a kid after a month, I'd want to name him/her October, since that is my favorite.

― ms. cookie (carl agatha), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 17:55 (twelve years ago)

I may have posted this elsewhere, but my cousin named her daughters Angel, Blessing and Precious.

Barf.

― Ermahgerd Thomas (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 17:55 (twelve years ago)

Is Barf the son?

― emil.y, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:00 (twelve years ago)

Also, I've always been surprised that there haven't been more Wednesdays since the Addams Family. I think it's a good name.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:01 (twelve years ago)

Is Barf the son?

Massive lol, thanking you.

― Ermahgerd Thomas (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:03 (twelve years ago)

hahaaaa

― obliquity of the ecliptic (rrrobyn), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:03 (twelve years ago)

LOL

― ms. cookie (carl agatha), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:06 (twelve years ago)

Here Lies Barf, So Bad and Hated

― ms. cookie (carl agatha), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:07 (twelve years ago)

I'm waiting for gemstone names like Pearl, Ruby, Golda/ie, Opal. They feel Appalachian to me, not sure if that's borne out by facts or just my experience.

― check the name, no caps, boom, i'm (Laurel), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:27 (twelve years ago)

Oh, those are back, especially among the mommy-has-a-masters-degree crowd. Ruby especially.

― kate78, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:39 (twelve years ago)

I used to have a Great-Aunt Golda. I'm into that.

― check the name, no caps, boom, i'm (Laurel), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:40 (twelve years ago)

I have already met williamsburg moms with a Ruby and a Pearl, respectively.

― bert yansh (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:43 (twelve years ago)

All my good ideas have been used by hipsters having children while I have none. I decided on the name Sophia in at least 1996--totally spiked like 10 years later. Now they'll use up all my gemstone names probably. I'm keeping my last resort name a secret just in case.

― check the name, no caps, boom, i'm (Laurel), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:51 (twelve years ago)

Uvula will always be safe.

― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:52 (twelve years ago)

Uvula Duadenum [last name redacted]

― ms. cookie (carl agatha), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:53 (twelve years ago)

it came up in a discussion re: baby names this weekend, that DORCAS is probably never gonna be a popular girl's name ever again

― real men have been preparing manly dishes for centuries (elmo argonaut), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:54 (twelve years ago)

Neither will Mildred, Olga, Eunice...

― kate78, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:55 (twelve years ago)

I mean no one's baby name is going to be that special or great -- there are billions of humans in the world and they all have names -- might as well commit to what you like.

― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:56 (twelve years ago)

Mildred is still pretty popular in Latin America if my students are any indication. I've had lots of Mildreds.

― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:56 (twelve years ago)

xp I could almost see Mildred following from Matilda. Like parents who like Matilda but think it's too overdone might be okay with Mildred. How popular is Esther? I could see Esther leading to Ethel in the same way.

Dorcas, though, probably not.

― ms. cookie (carl agatha), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:58 (twelve years ago)

"Barf" is the Farsi word for "snow". Could be a baby name in some eastern countries.

― Lee626, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 18:59 (twelve years ago)

I think the Spanish-speaking world has the market cornered on all forms of "Millie" right now--I know someone with TWO Aunt Millies who are both in fact named "Milagro" iirc.

― check the name, no caps, boom, i'm (Laurel), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 19:00 (twelve years ago)

xp: you have just made "Informer" a million times funnier

― Lil Swayne of Pie (DJP), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 19:00 (twelve years ago)

.....thus this Barf cleaning detergent sold in Iran. Use it to clean your hands or your clothes, ( or evidently, to make special Barf Soup ! )

cdn.24.co.za/files/Cms/General/d/1985/a87e0327025a4377a3528ab1f91ea11a.jpg

strikes me as a good baby name....

― Lee626, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 19:04 (twelve years ago)

ah where is the image hiding? Let's try this:

http://www.killmydaynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Random-Funny-Photos-Part-141_14-595x444.jpg

― Lee626, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 19:05 (twelve years ago)

I hate myself a little for being all "lol non-English" but "Special Barf Soup" is making me laugh pretty hard.

― ms. cookie (carl agatha), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 19:12 (twelve years ago)

It's Strong! It's Cleaner!

― Lee626, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 19:13 (twelve years ago)

I kind of know a dorcas!

― kinder, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 19:40 (twelve years ago)

An old boss of mine used to collectively refer these two assholes that comprised a marketing team as "Dorcas" for no discernible reason and it used to crack me up.

― ms. cookie (carl agatha), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 19:49 (twelve years ago)

Whitens Persians, apparently

― bert yansh (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 19:59 (twelve years ago)

I knew a Dorcas. I thought it was Greek?

Also, I've always been surprised that there haven't been more Wednesdays since the Addams Family. I think it's a good name.

Wednesday's child is full of woe, yo

― 47 minutes, 7 seconds and 4 frames (sunny successor), Wednesday, 15 August 2012 00:08 (twelve years ago)

three months pass...

Though there were eight girls named Nevaeh in the United States in 1999, Nevaeh was an extremely rare given name before singer Sonny Sandoval of the rock group P.O.D. named his daughter Nevaeh in 2000. He was then featured in the fall of that year on the television program MTV Cribs, and use of the name became widespread.

Nevaeh first entered the top 1000 names for girls born in the United States in 2001 when its popularity shot up making it the 266th most common name, according to the US Social Security Administration.[2] By 2010, it was the 25th most popular given name overall for all girls born in the United States in that year. It was the third most popular name for black girls born in New York City in 2010 and the third most popular name given to girls born in 2010 in New Mexico, the state where it is most popular; Nevaeh did not appear among the top 10 names in any other state in that year.[3] [4]

Though the name's use the first year or two of its popularity can probably be attributed to Sonny Sandoval's daughter, the further spread of Nevaeh’s popularity since is in large part an Internet phenomenon. The name is widely known and discussed on baby naming boards.

The name recently gained exposure on the reality TV show Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School, when contestant Heather strongly insisted on being referred to as Nevaeh, a name she had recently adopted to further her singing career. The other participants refused to indulge her in this, calling it ridiculous, and she was expelled in the second episode..

It has also been used as a wrestling ring name; SHIMMER Women Athletes wrestler, Nevaeh has been wrestling professionally for 3 years and has used it as her ring name since her debut.

Nevaeh is also a popular Contemporary Christian group, http://www.nevaehmusic.com.

― ゑ (clouds), Monday, 3 December 2012 15:42 (twelve years ago)

this...is all POD's fault
if I had a fuckin nickel every time

― subwe - hopelessly addicted to a certain kind of sandwich (m bison), Monday, 3 December 2012 19:36 (twelve years ago)

Attn: jaymc

http://www.designntrend.com/articles/2544/20121130/50-shades-grey-inspires-baby-names.htm

― 2 Chain Pizzas (to go) (Eazy), Monday, 3 December 2012 19:44 (twelve years ago)

http://www.babycenter.com/0_unusual-baby-names-of-2012_10375911.bc

burger
espn
rysk

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 12 December 2012 20:49 (twelve years ago)

I hope Burger's last name is Good. Or even Goode.

― this will surprise many (Nicole), Wednesday, 12 December 2012 21:02 (twelve years ago)

holy fuck that neveah thing

― Nilmar Honorato da Silva, Wednesday, 12 December 2012 22:03 (twelve years ago)

I hope Burger's last name isn't King

― Lee626, Wednesday, 12 December 2012 22:26 (twelve years ago)

how is that pronounced... nev-yuh? ne-vay-uh? nevuh?

― If I was a carpenter, and you were a douchebag (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 12 December 2012 22:28 (twelve years ago)

one month passes...

Hilary: the most poisoned baby name in US history

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 30 January 2013 17:57 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/85djfhh.jpg

― 乒乓, Thursday, 7 February 2013 16:49 (twelve years ago)

It can't be about Michael Landon, right?

― how's life, Thursday, 7 February 2013 16:53 (twelve years ago)

I know so many kids with Aiden variants -- Braden, Caden, Jayden -- it's ridiculous.

― Nataly Dawn's echoey swamp sound (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 7 February 2013 16:58 (twelve years ago)

Being a dick about people's names is a terrible look but Khloe with a K really tests one's resolve

― available for sporting events (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Thursday, 7 February 2013 17:02 (twelve years ago)

preponderance of Neveah is the worst sorry

― Welcome to my world of proses (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 7 February 2013 17:05 (twelve years ago)

^^^ otm, but I guess it's to distinguish them from the seven others in their school with a "C" (xpost)

― Nataly Dawn's echoey swamp sound (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 7 February 2013 17:05 (twelve years ago)

that being said my son's name seems to perplex/surprise people so whatevs

― Welcome to my world of proses (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 7 February 2013 17:05 (twelve years ago)

I was flying back to the west coast from Fla last weekend and the airport was full of families returning from Disney. Kids were running around everywhere and all you could hear was JAYDEN COME BACK HERE JAYDEN

― kate78, Thursday, 7 February 2013 17:12 (twelve years ago)

There was an Old Style beer public transit ad in Chicago that said something like you know a true Cubs fan if she names her daughters Addison, Sheffield, and Waveland (three of the four streets around Wrigley Field). Whenever I see anything abou the popularity of Addison, I think of that ad and how that person should have consulted jaymc before assuming that Addison wasn't as legitimate of a name as the omitted fourth street - Clark.

Anyway, hoping that Waveland is the next trend in feminine names.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 7 February 2013 17:29 (twelve years ago)

Or maybe:

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110131024527/lossimpson/es/images/e/e4/Noiseland_Arcade.jpg

― Nataly Dawn's echoey swamp sound (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 7 February 2013 17:49 (twelve years ago)

Steveland due for a comeback

also Baden lol

― Welcome to my world of proses (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 7 February 2013 18:13 (twelve years ago)

I was flying back to the west coast from Fla last weekend and the airport was full of families returning from Disney. Kids were running around everywhere and all you could hear was JAYDEN COME BACK HERE JAYDEN

― kate78, Thursday, February 7, 2013 11:12 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lmao I know when I should start bitching about my Medicare benefits: it's when president jayden bush is threatening to cut them to make room for tactical drones for high school football games

― pull up to the shrink with my feelings missing (m bison), Saturday, 9 February 2013 11:17 (twelve years ago)

one month passes...

What would be a good baby name starting with an M?

― Ulna (Nicole), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 14:07 (twelve years ago)

Great Real Names

― gnarly_sceptre (+ +), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 14:09 (twelve years ago)

I am still keeping Hobert Cotillion in reserve.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 14:11 (twelve years ago)

Nicole, male or female?

― we're beautiful like robots in dis guys (m bison), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:46 (twelve years ago)

Maximiliano

― jaymc, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:53 (twelve years ago)

Either will do. I'm trying to help show my cousin some names so her baby doesn't end up with a terrible name. Right now it is Macyn or Maddow for a boy, or Masey (nope, plain Macy wouldn't do) for a girl.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:54 (twelve years ago)

I want Maximiliano for my next cat.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:54 (twelve years ago)

i quite like Matilda or Madeline
or Marcus or Malcolm

― we're beautiful like robots in dis guys (m bison), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:55 (twelve years ago)

http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/67/6792/MZEI100Z/posters/bruce-eric-kaplan-theo-is-upset-that-his-name-isn-t-more-precious-new-yorker-cartoon.jpg

― jaymc, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:56 (twelve years ago)

Macktillictucs

― Brian Eno's Mother (Latham Green), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:56 (twelve years ago)

Marvelo

Magic

Magneto

Murberdormer

― Brian Eno's Mother (Latham Green), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:57 (twelve years ago)

macyn is fuckin DREADFUL

― we're beautiful like robots in dis guys (m bison), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:57 (twelve years ago)

Nicole, you must stop your cousin.

― kate78, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:57 (twelve years ago)

Right now it is Macyn or Maddow for a boy, or Masey (nope, plain Macy wouldn't do) for a girl.

man I sort of hate modern trends in baby naming tbrr

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:57 (twelve years ago)

ooh, forgot abt the irl kid whose first name is Metallica

― we're beautiful like robots in dis guys (m bison), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:57 (twelve years ago)

just all this made-up shit that's supposed to be SUPER-UNIQUE and is really just some reappropriated last name just spelled differently or whatever

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:58 (twelve years ago)

Macyn was the one that broke my brain.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 20:58 (twelve years ago)

is there a grammatical term for this kind of deliberate misspelling?

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:00 (twelve years ago)

ie phonetically that's pronounced the same as "mason" right?

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:00 (twelve years ago)

Yes. The only way that could be worse (or awesome, depending on your perspective) is if it was Ma$eyn.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:01 (twelve years ago)

just stick an apostrophe on there

Macin'

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:02 (twelve years ago)

Linguistic term? Maybe, I don't know of one though.

Martha Marcy May Marlene or Michael.

― and that sounds like a gong-concert (La Lechera), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:03 (twelve years ago)

Minnie
Millicent
Marvin
Miguel
Marco

― and that sounds like a gong-concert (La Lechera), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:03 (twelve years ago)

marc

― слабоумие и отвага (cozen), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:04 (twelve years ago)

right, linguistic sorry

I feel like the internet has created this loop of infinite regression wrt baby names that just makes them more and more ridiculous as people strive to give their babies the coolest/most unique name possible. pre-internet you really had no way of knowing what names were popular at the time of your child's birth, what influenced people's choices were larger cultural forces (the Bible, which royalty got married that year, etc.)

xp

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:06 (twelve years ago)

Maria, Michelle, Melissa

― how's life, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:07 (twelve years ago)

Marina
Magdalena
Modeste

― Des Fusils Pour Banter (ShariVari), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:08 (twelve years ago)

This pursuit of "unique" names makes everyone involved look like idiots.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:08 (twelve years ago)

Milagros
Manuela
Manfred

― and that sounds like a gong-concert (La Lechera), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:08 (twelve years ago)

Mabel
Maybelle

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:09 (twelve years ago)

girls
Mairead
Madeline
May
Moira
Meg

boys
Myles
Milo
Martin
Max
Murdoch

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:15 (twelve years ago)

honestly my favorites are the super oldfashioned names but I can never picture naming a baby after them

myrtle
marjorie
melvin

like they have to come out as fully formed 60 year olds

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:16 (twelve years ago)

Murtaugh

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:26 (twelve years ago)

lol

yeah I had an aunt myrtle, let me see if I can find a picture cuz she seemed like the archetypal Myrtle

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:27 (twelve years ago)

If they like first names that sound like last names but are spelled unusually, why not try to sell them on Morgen? Respectable in sound and provenance and bonus: unisex (if you insist).

― and that sounds like a gong-concert (La Lechera), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:30 (twelve years ago)

Murgatroyd

― Canaille help you (Michael White), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:42 (twelve years ago)

French names are problematic 'cause of pronunciation difficulties but I still love some of them.

Magali(e) is an Occitan version of Magdalene;

Melisande is always awesome (it's a francisation of Millicent);

Maël is kinda fun for a boy. It means 'chief' in Breton;

― Canaille help you (Michael White), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:05 (twelve years ago)

I feel like the internet has created this loop of infinite regression wrt baby names that just makes them more and more ridiculous as people strive to give their babies the coolest/most unique name possible. pre-internet you really had no way of knowing what names were popular at the time of your child's birth, what influenced people's choices were larger cultural forces (the Bible, which royalty got married that year, etc.)

Actually, the drift toward "unique" names started to occur in the 1960s with the increased focus on individuality in American culture, but the Internet definitely exacerbated it.

As you say, the online publication of baby-name statistics now lets you see which names are the most popular -- which has the effect that a lot of people will deliberately avoid certain names. But precisely because so many people are turning toward less-popular names, the popular names really aren't as popular as they once were. In 1950, the #1 name constituted about 5% of all names given that year for each sex. By 1985 this was down to 3%. Now it's 1%. Parents these days freak out about giving their kid a name in the top 20, even though the 20th-most-popular girls' name (Aubrey) is given to only about 1 in 280 girls. (Obviously, it might be somewhat more popular in certain geographic areas or socioeconomic circles.)

I think the Internet also creates an illusion of popularity simply by the fact that you can type most any name into Google and find at least a few examples of it in use. Before, a name felt fresh and novel if we didn't personally know anyone with it. Now, people feel frustrated if a single stranger on a blog "stole" her idea for a name. The bar is much higher.

All of this raises some questions: Why do we crave "unique" names for our kids? Do our kids even want the zany/special names we give them?

This is why that New Yorker cartoon I posted above made me laugh -- the scenario was hard to imagine. And yet we act like we are doing our kids a favor by bestowing them with unfamiliar or difficult-to-spell names, the product of either laborious research or creative brainstorming, supposedly so that they don't go through life feeling like they're boringly interchangeable with their peers. Throughout elementary school I was one of three Johns in my class. Honestly, it didn't really bother me. Perhaps once in a while I daydreamed about being called something less common, but it was usually on the order of Benjamin or Justin instead of anything outlandish. Are kids today different?

Ultimately, I feel like parents who prize "special" and "unique" names may claim a concern about their children's well-being, but they're just as often driven by their own desire to appear cool and clever and creative. With the options for names nearly limitless these days -- free of the restrictions (Biblical names, family names) that traditionally governed selection -- names increasingly function as a marker of status or taste. But I can't help but dwell on the fact that it's the parents' taste that's on display in a name, even though the kids are the ones that will be saddled with it.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:12 (twelve years ago)

otm, master of baby names

― we're beautiful like robots in dis guys (m bison), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:15 (twelve years ago)

the drift toward "unique" names started to occur in the 1960s with the increased focus on individuality in American culture

Both of my grandmothers have cutesy non-standard spellings of their names, as did one of my great-grandmothers and my mother's name is a compromise between the Danish and English spelling or her name. I think, there have always been periods in history when ppl want to name their kids something extravagant and other periods when they want to conform as much as possible.

― Canaille help you (Michael White), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:16 (twelve years ago)

Though I will grant that kids these days end up with names without any reference to family, ancestral culture or even traditional meaning, simply 'cause they sound cool to their parents.

― Canaille help you (Michael White), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:17 (twelve years ago)

I totally got reactionary/conservative when it came to naming my kids - list got quickly narrowed down to names we liked that were linked to our families/cultural heritages in some way. Neither name (Veronica, Judah) is particularly common but I also feel like if I ever have to explain the "why" of their names I'm gonna have a better answer than "we just thought it looked cool and you are so unique like a little snowflake and we wanted a name that reflected that"

xp

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:17 (twelve years ago)

Manuel

― how's life, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:19 (twelve years ago)

whenever I hear parents going on about uniqueness and their kids I just think of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQrQcAzMb8E

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:21 (twelve years ago)

Marcus is one of my favorite names, so I champion that one. Morgan/en is really good, too.

― carl agatha, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:22 (twelve years ago)

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8ij0a0EOB1qhbmo8o1_400.jpg

― carl agatha, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:23 (twelve years ago)

Last year I met a 42yr old man who introduced himself as C0ulter. My immediate response was, "That's your middle name, right?" 'cause no way a guy born in 1970 has that as his first name. I was right, first name is John, and he started going by his middle in...college! Surprise!

― kate78, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:24 (twelve years ago)

I had always presumed that was one of the layers of that song.

xp

― how's life, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:25 (twelve years ago)

http://tvmysteries.omnimystery.com/titles/title-mannix.jpg

― christmas candy bar (al leong), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:25 (twelve years ago)

I was right, first name is John, and he started going by his middle in...college! Surprise!

omg I hate this fucking shit, adults changing their names WHILE I HAVE KNOWN THEM. oh you're 25 now and you're name is Brooks and not Jason? oh okay.

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:28 (twelve years ago)

Self re-invention via name change is even recognized by the law though it looks a little poor if nothing else about you and your life has changed much.

― Canaille help you (Michael White), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:30 (twelve years ago)

My next question to this guy after "that's your middle name, right?" was "where you always called that or was it a college thing?"

― kate78, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:31 (twelve years ago)

(were, not where)

― kate78, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 22:32 (twelve years ago)

I changed my middle name for marriage reasons, but that p much only comes up when I'm filling out paperwork

― we're beautiful like robots in dis guys (m bison), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 23:02 (twelve years ago)

also, I think I'm super ok with common first names bc I have an uncommon frequently misspelled but easy to pronounce English last name, so burdening my child with some impossible first name plus some ridiculous last name wd just be a recipe for depresh.

― we're beautiful like robots in dis guys (m bison), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 23:03 (twelve years ago)

macyn dixern

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 23:06 (twelve years ago)

maysin dixsyn lyne

― we're beautiful like robots in dis guys (m bison), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 23:10 (twelve years ago)

macyn diccyn

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 23:11 (twelve years ago)

Nicole, just tell her, boy or girl, money mase

― we're beautiful like robots in dis guys (m bison), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 23:17 (twelve years ago)

mca

BOOM. done.

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 12 March 2013 23:22 (twelve years ago)

other people'll be like "mca uh, now that's an unusual name. why mca?"

― Jibe, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 03:45 (twelve years ago)

and you stare at them and say "Tibet"

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 03:52 (twelve years ago)

healthy pregnancies don't normally terminate in "BOOM. done." no matter what outrageous name you give the child.

― garfield drops some dank n' dirty dubz at 2am (unregistered), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 03:59 (twelve years ago)

Montauk

― Mordy, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 04:00 (twelve years ago)

xpost well my theoretical pregnancy would. "don't you oppress me"

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 04:02 (twelve years ago)

forklift
crimson
leaflet
curb
displacer
organ
dehumifier
lumber

― Poliopolice, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 04:12 (twelve years ago)

great post by jaymc there

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 04:13 (twelve years ago)

free of the restrictions (Biblical names, family names) that traditionally governed selection -- names increasingly function as a marker of status or taste.

obv I can see how this was restrictive, but I can't help but feel that something is lost by turning away from the traditional names. what does a Bradyn represent/signify? What are its connotations/associations? Will it stand the test of time or be as dated as shag carpet in 20 or 30 years? Cause something like James or John is fucking solid. Battle tested. All the specific "unique" names strike me as being just as interchangeable and generic as the standards due to their current general ubiquity. And think of all the precious time Bradyn will spend telling people no it's not -den, no it's not -don, not there's only 1 y in it, no I said Bradyn not Brandon etc.

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 04:24 (twelve years ago)

Yeah, the funny thing about all the interchangeable made-up names - Braden/Braydon/Bradyns and Kyla/Kayla/Kaylees - is that parents seem to often convince themselves that they are deeply significant and chosen for highly personal reasons, like 'oh it's gaelic and it honours my irish grandmother' or something. Baby name books (and the internet obv) are terrible for supplying totally fatuous origins and meanings for names that are just random syllables.

Also this:
I think Henry works on any age, and I'd totally call a kid that if my husband would let me. But even the fact that it's Indiana Jones' real name hasn't been enough to sway his opinion yet.
― franny glass, Monday, 28 June 2010 15:39 (2 years ago) Permalink

is hilarious to read because our son Henry was born about a year after I wrote it.

― franny glass, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 07:57 (twelve years ago)

Nicole, don't let your sister go through with either of these names, because the first thing that comes to mind is 'the exurbs beckon'.

I'm more convinced than ever that surnames-as-first names are gross unless it's a family name. Suggestions for a girl: Mirasol, Marisol, Molly, Maisie, Miranda. Boys: Max and Milo are too prevalent, also dog names. I do like Morgan, though.

Since I weighed in upthread, friends have named kids: Elvis, Ryu, Grace, Paul.

― karl lagerlout (suzy), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 09:20 (twelve years ago)

Franny Glass, that is so awesome. You won!

― how's life, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 09:45 (twelve years ago)

i like mireille for a girl and morgan for a boy.

― estela, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 09:49 (twelve years ago)

still sometimes irks that Hannah is not called Spinderella

― silly word combination (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 09:50 (twelve years ago)

We didn't find out the sex of babby so whilst my wife was pregnant we had lengthy debate about girls names, but for a boy we agreed pretty much straight away he'd be named after both our fathers; three weeks ago last Sunday and Peter George arrived :)

― that mustardless plate (Bill A), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 10:41 (twelve years ago)

Suzy, it's my cousin, not my sister -- if it was my sister it would be named Twistrella or something like that.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 10:54 (twelve years ago)

Congratulations Bill!

Did the order cause any problems? That microarea is the stupidest minefield imaginable.

― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 11:02 (twelve years ago)

Thanks, Ismael! It's been a very exciting and happy few weeks.

The order didn't cause problems, both our dads are pretty easy-going and also because the name Peter (which is my FiL's) has many resonances on my side too - it's shared by my uncle/godfather, is my bro's middle name, and also a beloved cousin of my Dad's. I think that Peter is probably quite an old-fashioned name, at least in the UK these days, but so was William when I was a lad and it didn't do me any harm. George, on the other hand, has had a resurgence from what I can tell.

― that mustardless plate (Bill A), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 11:27 (twelve years ago)

I really like both of those names.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 12:42 (twelve years ago)

honestly my favorites are the super oldfashioned names but I can never picture naming a baby after them
like they have to come out as fully formed 60 year olds

eh my friends keep naming their kids what I regard as fully-formed-60-year-old names but then I find out they're actually quite popular now, and probably the names I think "that's a nice name, there was one of those in my class at school" abt will be totally middle-aged-people names when my (probably purely hypothetical) kids are in school, because so will I be

― susuwatari teenage riot (a passing spacecadet), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 12:52 (twelve years ago)

my name is most associated with black male teenagers and 80s heartthrobs, which is fine by me.

― mimosa pudica (clouds), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 13:29 (twelve years ago)

Also rednecks.

― carl agatha, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 14:30 (twelve years ago)

Did the order cause any problems? That microarea is the stupidest minefield imaginable.

This reminds me of an interesting point that baby-name guru Laura Wattenberg made recently: "before birth, middle names look a lot bigger than they really are."

Most parents choose two names for their babies, a first and a middle. We know that the first name takes pride of place, but we take care to get both elements right. Some of us even start off with a middle name we like, then look for a first name that sounds good with it. It's a two-part composition...until the baby is born. From then on, the first name is the child's identity, and the middle name a seldom-seen accessory.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 14:55 (twelve years ago)

Also rednecks.

― carl agatha, 13. mars 2013 09:30 (30 minutes ago)

bingo.

― mimosa pudica (clouds), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 15:01 (twelve years ago)

Peter George

kinda funny how you arrived at this because it's also my older brother's first & middle name, who was likewise named after both grandfathers

― fueled by satanism, violence, and sodomy (elmo argonaut), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 15:22 (twelve years ago)

ctrl+f 'matrix'

No Results Found

― 乒乓, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 15:54 (twelve years ago)

Matrix is still better than Macyn. I can think of few names worse than Macyn.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 15:58 (twelve years ago)

I really like both of those names.

Thanks, Nicole!

elmo, that's great re: yr brother. If our own little PG turns out like either of his granddads then we'd feel very proud. We didn't tell anyone about the planned names, dropped it on them when they visited hospital after the birth, cue both grandfathers misty eyed and smiling.

― that mustardless plate (Bill A), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:00 (twelve years ago)

Macyn should be pronounced "Machine", really.

― emil.y, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:02 (twelve years ago)

From then on, the first name is the child's identity, and the middle name a seldom-seen accessory.

Until you get in trouble, then it's all "first/middle/last, you come here this INSTANT!"

― It's All Posable Colaboration (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:04 (twelve years ago)

^^^This is the only time a Midwesterner hears their middle name.

― karl lagerlout (suzy), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:05 (twelve years ago)

i think i escaped being called out with my middle name because my mom said it reminded her too much of sanford & son

my middle name is lamont, btw

― fueled by satanism, violence, and sodomy (elmo argonaut), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:10 (twelve years ago)

That is an awesome name imo.

― go to party leather (ENBB), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:13 (twelve years ago)

I love it too.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:15 (twelve years ago)

if i ever make a transition to public life i think i'll use it as my last name, why because ethnic greek surnames are confusing

― fueled by satanism, violence, and sodomy (elmo argonaut), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:18 (twelve years ago)

Until you get in trouble, then it's all "first/middle/last, you come here this INSTANT!"

Or you're a serial killer, though I guess that qualifies for 'trouble' too.

― Canaille help you (Michael White), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:24 (twelve years ago)

My great-grandfather on my dad's side was named Lamont (it was *his* grandmother's maiden name). It's Scottish.

― karl lagerlout (suzy), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:30 (twelve years ago)

Sitting next to a girl called mireille atm as it happens

― gubba hoy hoy (darraghmac), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:39 (twelve years ago)

Ask her why The Killing sucked.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:53 (twelve years ago)

What????

― Jeff, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 16:58 (twelve years ago)

ah yes ILX has its own baby names thread - why did I not think of it.
Baby girl is on the way for this summer and wifey and I are "negociating names" - only rule is that the first name should be Italian and if we pick a second name it would probably be a Norwegian one.
Suggestions welcome.

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 17:10 (twelve years ago)

Mireille

From the Occitan name Mirèio, which was first used by the poet Frédéric Mistral for the main character in his poem 'Mirèio' (1859). He probably derived it from the Occitan word mirar meaning "to admire".

― Canaille help you (Michael White), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 17:10 (twelve years ago)

only rule is that the first name should be Italian and if we pick a second name it would probably be a Norwegian one.

Luigi Knut

― jaymc, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 17:13 (twelve years ago)

Azzurra Dagmar, baaderonixx

― Canaille help you (Michael White), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 17:15 (twelve years ago)

Bartolomeo Bjørn

― jaymc, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 17:26 (twelve years ago)

jaymc, yr killin me.

― It's All Posable Colaboration (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 17:26 (twelve years ago)

They seem a little off for a a baby girl, but who am I to be all gender normative and cis and whatnot?

― Canaille help you (Michael White), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 17:28 (twelve years ago)

Oh ha I missed the part where baaderonixx said it was a girl.

In that case: Francesca Freya

― jaymc, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 17:41 (twelve years ago)

Carla Hedda

― Canaille help you (Michael White), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 17:48 (twelve years ago)

this thread is going to be a gold mine for me wrt all the fake names i am going to tell people future kid is going to be saddled with

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 17:50 (twelve years ago)

plz name yr babby MCA

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 17:57 (twelve years ago)

Minghetta Torsdtnickt

― gubba hoy hoy (darraghmac), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 18:06 (twelve years ago)

Apple - works for either sex

― Aimless, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 18:07 (twelve years ago)

Francesca Freya sounding pretty good!

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:04 (twelve years ago)

i hope the vatican message board has a pope name thread like this

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:07 (twelve years ago)

Pius Innocent

― kate78, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:14 (twelve years ago)

I have a friend who named his daughter Freya

and an acquaintance who named his kid Machine

fwiw

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:15 (twelve years ago)

Freya is cool but not really a modern Norwegian name. Also reminds me too much of a popular chocolate brand

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:19 (twelve years ago)

Freya in England is a terrible drama student who gets green hair in the pool and two trips on the strep-throat carousel a year.

Looked at Norwegian girl names wiki and a lot of them are plausibly crosssover with Italian names.

― karl lagerlout (suzy), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:22 (twelve years ago)

There are so many little Freyas in the UK right now.

― kate78, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:32 (twelve years ago)

hm well this dude lives in Arizona and is just into Norse mythos

― his girlfriend was all 'ugh and he wears a solar backpack' (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:37 (twelve years ago)

Too bad it's not a boy, or else Geir would be the obvious choice.

For a girl I like Inger.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:47 (twelve years ago)

Nymphs revival starts here.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:48 (twelve years ago)

I was never much a fan, but I do like that name.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:49 (twelve years ago)

Also: Elin

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:51 (twelve years ago)

I forgot the Tiger Woods association with that one, never mind.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Wednesday, 13 March 2013 19:58 (twelve years ago)

Friends of ours had a daughter last night and named her Coraline. Don't think I've ever met another living human being with that name. Social Security index says it is "not among the top 1,000 baby names in the past 13 years."

― ARE YOU HIRING A NANNY OR A SHAMAN (Phil D.), Thursday, 14 March 2013 10:52 (twelve years ago)

After the film, I guess?

― emil.y, Thursday, 14 March 2013 10:54 (twelve years ago)

it was a neil gaiman book to start with

― acid in the style of tenpole tudor (NickB), Thursday, 14 March 2013 11:09 (twelve years ago)

Their other child is named Jameson. Starting to think they're using the Brick Tamland naming method.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gId6nrMDmUU

― ARE YOU HIRING A NANNY OR A SHAMAN (Phil D.), Thursday, 14 March 2013 11:26 (twelve years ago)

Also: Elin

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Wednesday, March 13, 2013 3:51 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I forgot the Tiger Woods association with that one, never mind.

― rallying against young people who wear hats (Nicole), Wednesday, March 13, 2013 3:58 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I don't feel like this association is overwhelming.

― toulows-lautrec (how's life), Thursday, 14 March 2013 11:40 (twelve years ago)

yeah never would have thought of that - I don't live in the US tho

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Thursday, 14 March 2013 13:10 (twelve years ago)

Xposting back to the M names my nephew's full name is Maximilian Montague Martin.

― I thought, 'This is Jeezo. He came in, he activated' (sunny successor), Friday, 15 March 2013 18:12 (twelve years ago)

Friends of ours had a daughter last night and named her Coraline. Don't think I've ever met another living human being with that name. Social Security index says it is "not among the top 1,000 baby names in the past 13 years."

I was mildly surprised that the movie didn't launch the name into the top 1,000 -- so I checked out the raw number of babies named Coraline born for the years since Gaiman's book was released.

2002-2005: 0
2006: 7
2007: 5
2008: 11
2009 (movie release): 120
2010: 237
2011: 224

Looks like that 2010 peak was good enough for a placement of #1,044.

― jaymc, Friday, 15 March 2013 18:32 (twelve years ago)

Peter George arrived :)

congrats! that's a great name imo

jealous of elmo's middle name tho

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Friday, 15 March 2013 19:36 (twelve years ago)

Thanks :) feels like he's starting to grow into it a bit, although I do still find myself calling him 'our baby' and 'the little lad' more than his proper name.

elmo's middle name rules, for family reasons my middle name is Harold. Difficult to properly express the hilarity this could provoke in a British playground in the '70s.

― that mustardless plate (Bill A), Tuesday, 19 March 2013 10:15 (twelve years ago)

Our daughter's middle name is F1del1s, a Latin word that as far as I can tell has been no ones n name ever, except for my wifes moms middle name and some old pope or something.

My wife and her mother pronounced it Fuh-day-lis, which I presumed was wrong because they were both born and raised in Baltimore, and sometimes when that happens to you, you end up with crazy pronunciations of things.

I didn't know the word either, but I knew the Marine Corp rhyme "semper fi, do or die" and inferred the rest of the pronunciation from there. So for the first couple months of my daughters life, I walked around telling people that her middle name was Fie-dell-us.

― how's life, Tuesday, 19 March 2013 10:31 (twelve years ago)

one month passes...

Two baby names I just ran across on the Internet which, I just:

Londyn
Kale

― carl agatha, Saturday, 4 May 2013 15:15 (twelve years ago)

KALE!!!!!!

― carl agatha, Saturday, 4 May 2013 15:15 (twelve years ago)

i want to name a kid kombucha

― rock 'em sock 'em (Treeship), Saturday, 4 May 2013 15:16 (twelve years ago)

When I was a kid, I named on of my Fisher Price Little People "London" (husband Gordon and son Corky) but I was three and it was a little plastic doll.

― carl agatha, Saturday, 4 May 2013 15:17 (twelve years ago)

Corky's a good name

― rock 'em sock 'em (Treeship), Saturday, 4 May 2013 15:19 (twelve years ago)

Thank you. I agree.

― carl agatha, Saturday, 4 May 2013 15:20 (twelve years ago)

Kale Kombucha Acidophilus Agatha

― carl agatha, Saturday, 4 May 2013 15:21 (twelve years ago)

Kale is a.... superfood!

― Aimless, Saturday, 4 May 2013 15:35 (twelve years ago)

Superfood Acidophilus Treeship

― rock 'em sock 'em (Treeship), Saturday, 4 May 2013 15:36 (twelve years ago)

i think it would be cool if a parent bucked the trend of these hip, vaguely cosmopolitan-sounding names and just named their kids stuff like Corky, Dizzy, and Pop

― rock 'em sock 'em (Treeship), Saturday, 4 May 2013 15:37 (twelve years ago)

I have seen Kale several times. It cracks me up. I also know a 1-year-old Cael (pronounced the same).

The unnecessary misspellings are an innocuous thing that makes me irrationally angry. I am acquainted with the father of a newborn Kaleb, and there was a Karter at our playcentre yesterday. The

― franny glass, Saturday, 4 May 2013 16:54 (twelve years ago)

There's a list downloadable from the general register office of Scotland which shows every name given to a child in Scotland the previous year. It's an absolute treasure trove of unnecessary misspellings. Aidynn and Shannade's parents might want to have a word with them when they get a bit older.

― ailsa, Saturday, 4 May 2013 16:58 (twelve years ago)

Cale Yarborough, former NASCAR driver.

― Jeff, Saturday, 4 May 2013 17:30 (twelve years ago)

If I ever have a daughter I'll name her Coraline.

― Van Horn Street, Saturday, 4 May 2013 17:33 (twelve years ago)

brb naming my kid Acai Stevia

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 4 May 2013 17:45 (twelve years ago)

I wonder if any fine art lovers named their sons "Kinkade" after the Painter of Light™ passed away.

― third geir, hang on tight (hongro hongro go faster faster) (unregistered), Saturday, 4 May 2013 18:00 (twelve years ago)

Giclee would be a pretty name for a girl, imho.

― third geir, hang on tight (hongro hongro go faster faster) (unregistered), Saturday, 4 May 2013 18:01 (twelve years ago)

lol

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 4 May 2013 18:02 (twelve years ago)

This is my daughter Comic Sans

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 4 May 2013 18:03 (twelve years ago)

aw, she really ought to go on a play date with my son http://i.imgur.com/BXx3NQp.jpg one of these days. he's a riot!

― third geir, hang on tight (hongro hongro go faster faster) (unregistered), Saturday, 4 May 2013 18:09 (twelve years ago)

Chiaroscuro Goji Berri Agatha

― carl agatha, Saturday, 4 May 2013 19:48 (twelve years ago)

Fun terrible fact: I was briefly in a band called Chiaroscuro.

― carl agatha, Saturday, 4 May 2013 19:49 (twelve years ago)

:(

― Jeff, Saturday, 4 May 2013 19:50 (twelve years ago)

coworker's sister named her baby adien, pronounced "aiden" by anyone else who thinks you can just throw letters wherever you want. BUT IT'S ALIEN, WITH A D

― ehkarl, Saturday, 4 May 2013 22:10 (twelve years ago)

my name is spelled "patrick" but it's pronounced "andrew"

― i have opinions about empire burlesque (Treeship), Monday, 6 May 2013 03:28 (twelve years ago)

lool

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 6 May 2013 03:40 (twelve years ago)

geranium, pronouned uranium. the g is silent

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 6 May 2013 03:41 (twelve years ago)

The 2012 list for the U.S. is now available!

Here's a look at the new top 1,000, with the 2011 ranks displayed for comparison:
http://www.babynamewizard.com/the-top-1000-baby-names-of-2012-united-states-of-america

And I had a few thoughts on Twitter:

http://oi40.tinypic.com/2je440j.jpg

― jaymc, Thursday, 9 May 2013 19:06 (twelve years ago)

Aw, Ralph. I guess having your name synonymous with puking isn't going to do you any favors.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 9 May 2013 19:10 (twelve years ago)

It had a good run.

― jaymc, Thursday, 9 May 2013 19:17 (twelve years ago)

i love pamela and stacy

― (from a bottle you dicks) (sunny successor), Thursday, 9 May 2013 19:31 (twelve years ago)

lol @ kyndal

― (from a bottle you dicks) (sunny successor), Thursday, 9 May 2013 19:34 (twelve years ago)

Ralph will always be synonymous with the guy's cock in Forever. Puking, not so much - or about as much as 'Buick'.

― karl lagerlout (suzy), Thursday, 9 May 2013 19:48 (twelve years ago)

I have a junior in college in my class named Pamela and it feels really anachronistic and kind of strange.

― joygoat, Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:10 (twelve years ago)

can we introduce Laden and Waden

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:18 (twelve years ago)

I prefer Vaden.

― The last of the famous international Greyjoys (Nicole), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:20 (twelve years ago)

ralph wiggum destroyed the name ralph forever tbh

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:21 (twelve years ago)

Afraiden

― carl agatha, Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:21 (twelve years ago)

nader didn't help

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:22 (twelve years ago)

Made-in-the-shaden

― carl agatha, Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:22 (twelve years ago)

FlavorAiden

It's a modern day twist on Puritan value names.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:23 (twelve years ago)

huh my son's name (Judah) is pretty far down the list, but seems like it's had something of a popularity spike in the last few years

― four Marxes plus four Obamas plus four Bin Ladens (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:23 (twelve years ago)

Lik-M-Aiden

― carl agatha, Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:24 (twelve years ago)

God somebody pay attention to me or I'll do this all day.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:24 (twelve years ago)

future kids name is in the top 20 but thankfully not the top ten because wow most of those are awful

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:24 (twelve years ago)

old school biblical names for boys really seem to be on the rise

― four Marxes plus four Obamas plus four Bin Ladens (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:24 (twelve years ago)

and by old school I mean old testament

xp

― four Marxes plus four Obamas plus four Bin Ladens (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:25 (twelve years ago)

wait whoa, not according to that list, i am mistaken. weird, i just looked at one of these and it had a totally different lineup

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:26 (twelve years ago)

Did I tell you guys that there is a girl named Lestat in my daughter's kindergarten class?

― The last of the famous international Greyjoys (Nicole), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:29 (twelve years ago)

my daughter's name dropped slightly but still in top 30

― congratulations (n/a), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:30 (twelve years ago)

xpost shut UP that is awesome

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:31 (twelve years ago)

I found out last week that a bro-dude from my high school class named his son Bodhi. No, he is not a spiritual fellow. Son is literally named AFTER PATRICK SWAYZE ON POINT BREAK.

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:32 (twelve years ago)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

― carl agatha, Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:33 (twelve years ago)

Now that is awesome. More people should name their children after Patrick Swayze or Patrick Swayze characters.

― The last of the famous international Greyjoys (Nicole), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:34 (twelve years ago)

Lestat befuddled me though because I didn't really see it as a girls name, if you're going to be an Ann Rice superfan why not Claudia or Akasha?

― The last of the famous international Greyjoys (Nicole), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:35 (twelve years ago)

James Dalton Agatha

― carl agatha, Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:35 (twelve years ago)

Tiger Warsaw would also be an awesome baby name.

― The last of the famous international Greyjoys (Nicole), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:38 (twelve years ago)

ralph wiggum destroyed the name ralph forever tbh

Perhaps, but it's basically been in gradual decline for the past 95 years.

― jaymc, Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:45 (twelve years ago)

lack of icons/suitable idols w/the name surely the cause there. there's no princes or rock stars or presidents named Ralph, there's just Ralph Kramden, Ralph Wiggum, etc. it has schlubby associations

― four Marxes plus four Obamas plus four Bin Ladens (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:47 (twelve years ago)

meet my daughter Virginia Andrews

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:50 (twelve years ago)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/40/King_Ralph.jpeg

― jaymc, Thursday, 9 May 2013 20:59 (twelve years ago) 

179  Kinsley    1743    217
180  Kinley     1741    194

man what are the odds

― goole, Thursday, 9 May 2013 21:05 (twelve years ago)

I have already met williamsburg moms with a Ruby and a Pearl, respectively

My grandfather's twin sisters were named Pearl and Ruby! (Born in the '20s or thereabouts)

― Sir Lord Baltimora (Myonga Vön Bontee), Thursday, 9 May 2013 21:18 (twelve years ago)

My dad had twin aunts named Aunt Pink and Aunt Daisy. Best names ever. Especially for old ladies! I mean.

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 9 May 2013 21:21 (twelve years ago)

i'm planning on naming my future dogs ruby & perl (after the programming languages)

― diamonddave85, Thursday, 9 May 2013 21:23 (twelve years ago)

Friend of mine just named her baby Ralph
Other recent babies of friends: Monty, Albert/Albie/Bert, Theo

― kinder, Thursday, 9 May 2013 21:30 (twelve years ago)

Ruby and Pearl are characters in a fairly well-known novel but if I say which one it's kind of spoilery if you haven't read it

― kinder, Thursday, 9 May 2013 21:31 (twelve years ago)

High five to your friend re: Ralph!

― carl agatha, Thursday, 9 May 2013 21:39 (twelve years ago)

ugh I just thought of Ralphie from the Sopranos :(((

― kinder, Thursday, 9 May 2013 21:46 (twelve years ago)

I love the name Ruby.

― Airwrecka Bliptrap Blapmantis (ENBB), Thursday, 9 May 2013 21:54 (twelve years ago)

yeah me too, just remembered another friend named her baby that. Josie is another one, kind of cute

― kinder, Thursday, 9 May 2013 21:54 (twelve years ago)

bring back the gemstone names imo

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 9 May 2013 22:09 (twelve years ago)

sapphire
tanzanite
topaz

― great wallogina (Autumn Almanac), Thursday, 9 May 2013 22:34 (twelve years ago)

cubic zircon, stop hitting your brother

― great wallogina (Autumn Almanac), Thursday, 9 May 2013 22:35 (twelve years ago)

haha

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 9 May 2013 22:39 (twelve years ago)

I had students named Ruby and Rosie this year, both which are kind of awesome. Rosie was her given name too, not a nickname or shorthand.

― joygoat, Thursday, 9 May 2013 23:11 (twelve years ago)

best

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 9 May 2013 23:13 (twelve years ago)

i have twins as students, ruby and emerald

― danielle steel in the hour of chaos (m bison), Thursday, 9 May 2013 23:47 (twelve years ago)

also my son's name climbed to 16. benjamin has been gaining steadily and seems to always be in the top 50 but has never been in the top 10.

― danielle steel in the hour of chaos (m bison), Thursday, 9 May 2013 23:47 (twelve years ago)

actual name at my son's day care: lakely

― danielle steel in the hour of chaos (m bison), Thursday, 9 May 2013 23:52 (twelve years ago)

Lakely story.

― The last of the famous international Greyjoys (Nicole), Thursday, 9 May 2013 23:53 (twelve years ago)

weird

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 9 May 2013 23:54 (twelve years ago)

also my son's name climbed to 16. benjamin has been gaining steadily and seems to always be in the top 50 but has never been in the top 10.

Weird, yeah, it doesn't seem like a name that's been getting gradually popular, it seems like a name that's just been always around -- in my lifetime, at least. I'm actually kind of surprised that its first year in the top 20 was 2009.

― i, norbit (jaymc), Friday, 10 May 2013 00:36 (twelve years ago)

parenthood turned me into a person who thinks every baby name is awesome because it means something special to the parents. like no matter what a parent says when I say "what's your baby's name?" now when they tell me I just feel "that is awesome"

― not feeling those lighters (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Friday, 10 May 2013 02:50 (twelve years ago)

thanks, mcveigh is just getting ready for nursery

― there is no special cathexis with mini fried donuts (Nilmar Honorato da Silva), Friday, 10 May 2013 02:52 (twelve years ago)

I am voting for Virginal to replace Virginia. It is such a kickass keyboard instrument.

― Aimless, Friday, 10 May 2013 03:05 (twelve years ago)

Lotsa Steely Dan names on this thread

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Friday, 10 May 2013 08:18 (twelve years ago)

I used to know someone who called his daughter Kyuss.

― хуто-хуторянка (ShariVari), Friday, 10 May 2013 08:46 (twelve years ago)

that's weird, Kyuss is such a boy's name

― ✌_✌ (c sharp major), Friday, 10 May 2013 09:09 (twelve years ago)

names at my son's upper-middle-class daycare:

Hector
Elias
Coco
Bruno
Mannis
Milo
Eden Belle

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 10 May 2013 09:31 (twelve years ago)

names at my other son's regular ol' nursery:

Hamza
Levonn
Aoibheann
Edward
Tillie
Antonio
Omar

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 10 May 2013 09:33 (twelve years ago)

read that as "Amphibian". doesn't pass the recess test.

― how's life, Friday, 10 May 2013 09:38 (twelve years ago)

pronounced "Ay-VEEN"

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 10 May 2013 09:46 (twelve years ago)

That's what I guessed. Don't expect a playground full of schoolteachers will do the same.

― how's life, Friday, 10 May 2013 10:13 (twelve years ago)

Schoolkids, I meant, but either way.

― how's life, Friday, 10 May 2013 10:25 (twelve years ago)

That's... not the Irish pronunciation, is it? I mean they may not be aiming for the Irish pronunciation and you can and should call your kids whatever you like, of course

(I thought it was "ee-van" or "ee-vawn" with the stress on the 1st syllable but I will defer to actual Irish ppl on this obv)

― susuwatari teenage riot (a passing spacecadet), Friday, 10 May 2013 10:30 (twelve years ago)

lol - @how's life i don't think 4-year-olds are going to be thinking about how it's spelled!

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 10 May 2013 10:59 (twelve years ago)

but yeah, i have a lot of sympathy for london schoolteachers, dealing w/irish, gaelic, turkish, nigerian names all at once

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 10 May 2013 11:00 (twelve years ago)

Didn't remember that you were in the UK.

― how's life, Friday, 10 May 2013 11:04 (twelve years ago)

Did you usedv to live in Tennessee or amI thinking of someone else?

― how's life, Friday, 10 May 2013 11:05 (twelve years ago)

Yeah I thought you were in France!

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Friday, 10 May 2013 11:24 (twelve years ago)

Oh man, naming your kid "Liam" instead of "William" makes me IA.

― kate78, Saturday, 11 May 2013 10:16 (twelve years ago)

I'd never realized that the two were related!

― how's life, Saturday, 11 May 2013 10:22 (twelve years ago)

Liam is the short version of the Irish form of William, isn't it?

― хуто-хуторянка (ShariVari), Saturday, 11 May 2013 10:24 (twelve years ago)

first name to surprise me on the girl's list: Genesis, at #56.

― a sentimental knife (reddening), Saturday, 11 May 2013 12:08 (twelve years ago)

Liam is a diminutive of William

― kate78, Saturday, 11 May 2013 14:07 (twelve years ago)

They function as two separate names, though. It's more common for kids in Ireland to be legally registered as Liam than William.

― хуто-хуторянка (ShariVari), Saturday, 11 May 2013 14:18 (twelve years ago)

But if you want your kid to be called Liam why not just call it Liam? Similarly, if you want a kid called Alex, why would you have to call it Alexander and then shorten it?

― emil.y, Saturday, 11 May 2013 14:20 (twelve years ago)

Or Xander. Definitely a Xander in my son's third grade class.

― how's life, Saturday, 11 May 2013 14:24 (twelve years ago)

I'm legally Jeffrey but nobody calls me anything but Jeff, my cousin is Alexander but Alex to everyone, and Larry and Burt are common names amongst my relatives but every one of them is technically a Lawrence or Burton. I just assume that's the case for every name and actually think it's strange and super uncommon when someone is simply a "John" or "Bill" or "Dan" on their birth certificate.

― joygoat, Saturday, 11 May 2013 15:19 (twelve years ago)

I way prefer the idea of getting multiple uses out of one name.

― kinder, Saturday, 11 May 2013 15:23 (twelve years ago)

didn't know that about Liam, xpost. John isn't short for anything so it's different than bill or dan. i would think it odd too if someone's birth certificate just said "dan".

― Treeship, Saturday, 11 May 2013 15:37 (twelve years ago)

Oh, I certainly have nothing against using the long form on the birth certificate if you want, my position is more that it's *also* fine to use the short form on the birth certificate.

xp John is short for Jonathan.

― emil.y, Saturday, 11 May 2013 15:38 (twelve years ago)

i thought that was "jon" and "John" was a separate name. like, in the Bible it's just the book of John not Jonathan.

― Treeship, Saturday, 11 May 2013 15:40 (twelve years ago)

xp not sure about that

― kinder, Saturday, 11 May 2013 15:40 (twelve years ago)

juan, hans, ivan - do they have a 'jonathan' equivalent?

― kinder, Saturday, 11 May 2013 15:41 (twelve years ago)

I've known Johns who were Jonathans, but I think you're partially right, actually - John was originally a standalone name. I guess some people just think the spelling of Jon isn't as good?

― emil.y, Saturday, 11 May 2013 15:43 (twelve years ago)

Or, well, I guess that makes you right, rather than 'partially right'.

― emil.y, Saturday, 11 May 2013 15:44 (twelve years ago)

Jannick? xp

I don't like 'Jon' and 'Jonny' is even worse.

― karl lagerlout (suzy), Saturday, 11 May 2013 15:45 (twelve years ago)

i never knew one of these Johns that were actually Jonathans but I am interested to learn about them. it makes sense, the "h" makes it seem like a stronger name instead of a diminutive of a larger name. didn't know ivan was a form of john, xpost.

― Treeship, Saturday, 11 May 2013 15:46 (twelve years ago)

Liam is a short form of the Irish name "Uilliam", itself a derivative of the Frankish, "Willahelm".

Sometimes, this name can be a shortened form of William.

― sleepingsignal, Saturday, 11 May 2013 15:51 (twelve years ago)

my ears are hella burning itt

― I've Seen rRootage (Will M.), Saturday, 11 May 2013 16:42 (twelve years ago)

Will M short for Will.i.am

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 11 May 2013 17:50 (twelve years ago)

lol. i thought every english name was a shortened form, because it doesn't include the suffix "ington." williamington. thomasington. johnington.

― Treeship, Saturday, 11 May 2013 18:03 (twelve years ago)

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/michaels-long-reign-continues-in-new-york-and-sophias-tenure-grows/?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes

― kate78, Saturday, 18 May 2013 16:00 (twelve years ago)

four months pass...

http://i.imgur.com/c3LMSc3.jpg

― diamonddave85, Wednesday, 9 October 2013 19:43 (eleven years ago)

lol

― how's life, Wednesday, 9 October 2013 19:44 (eleven years ago)

These people do realize that "baby names" eventually become the names of the elderly, right?

― Aimless, Thursday, 10 October 2013 00:31 (eleven years ago)

I don't think they even realise it will eventually become the name of someone older than 5.

― franny glass, Thursday, 10 October 2013 02:04 (eleven years ago)

Or, someone not a puppy-dog.

― franny glass, Thursday, 10 October 2013 02:04 (eleven years ago)

She's gotta be mormon.

― kate78, Thursday, 10 October 2013 03:55 (eleven years ago)

Do you think that rhymes with "bacon" or "Joaquin?"

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 10 October 2013 04:02 (eleven years ago)

or "lackin'"

― kate78, Thursday, 10 October 2013 04:23 (eleven years ago)

Okay so Devan and I had a pretty difficult time picking out the name! I kind of thought we were never going to agree on one! I love unique names! My name is fairly unique and I loved never having to share a name with someone else in my school or work. Devan, on the other hand, likes unique but not too unique of a name.
At first we both liked (Devan actually loved) the name Taylee.. Then I did a little research and decided there are quite a few Taylee's out there and that it was too common of a name. So it was a no for the name Taylee.
Then I thought of the name McKarty.. Which I still absolutely LOVE this name, but sadly Devan literally HATED it! I tired and tried to talk him into it! Then I figured I couldn't name her something that he really didn't like, so out went the name McKarty.
Then we tried to combined both of our favorite names.. McKarty and Taylee and came up with Maylee. We both liked it but wasn't in love with the name.. So we kept thinking..
I know of a little girl named Nayvie and love the name! Devan actually liked it too! So for a minute we thought about naming her that but then decided it just wasn't suppose to be her name!

Then one day Devan came home from work and said he was drove past a sign that said "LAKIN" and asked what I thought about it. I actually LOVED the name! We both Loved it! YAY! I decided to change up the spelling a little bit to make it more of a girly name and that is how we came up with
LAKYNN!

― fit and working again, Thursday, 10 October 2013 04:24 (eleven years ago)

Posted by McKinli

― fit and working again, Thursday, 10 October 2013 04:30 (eleven years ago)

^^Mormon! I'd bet a limb on it.

― kate78, Thursday, 10 October 2013 04:35 (eleven years ago)

YUP:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QVDVwwXJgxU/Uj871S4uIaI/AAAAAAAAI_w/j5x6K3jjBjw/s1600/utes1234741_10151902337813454_634372770_n.jpg

― kate78, Thursday, 10 October 2013 04:37 (eleven years ago)

we decided on Johnjacobjingleheimerschmidt at first omg we loved it soo much! but too many people had that name :(
so we decided on Queef

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 10 October 2013 04:45 (eleven years ago)

poor kid

― conrad, Thursday, 10 October 2013 09:01 (eleven years ago)

names are really important so best to spend time considering your options and discussing it and researching online and then pick something from a sign you drove past with the spelling changed up to make it more of a girly name

― conrad, Thursday, 10 October 2013 09:09 (eleven years ago)

lol

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Thursday, 10 October 2013 09:39 (eleven years ago)

I dunno - sometimes I think the strict European requirements for names might be a blessing

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Thursday, 10 October 2013 09:40 (eleven years ago)

and that is how we came up with LAKYNN!

The middle name just kind of seemed to go with it! There isn't any family meaning behind it, just a cute name we both liked! :)

― conrad, Thursday, 10 October 2013 09:53 (eleven years ago)

Someone who writes like that was actually given a college degree! Mistaking a brainfart for a brainwave! Exclamation point! *proj vom*

― aldi young dudes (suzy), Thursday, 10 October 2013 09:55 (eleven years ago)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aGhjPd-3Uyc/Tq705pWeXmI/AAAAAAAACG0/rL9KwmnJQgk/s1600/week+16.jpg :s

― conrad, Thursday, 10 October 2013 10:16 (eleven years ago)

I definitely thought "baby hatch" was referring to something else...

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 11:27 (eleven years ago)

who are these people

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Thursday, 10 October 2013 11:28 (eleven years ago)

Your friends. Your family. Your neighbors. Everyone.

― Jeff, Thursday, 10 October 2013 13:31 (eleven years ago)

My name is McKinli. I am married to my AMAZING husband, Devan. We were married on December 3rd, 2010. He not only made the choice to marry me but take on my adorable two year old son, Titan.

― diamonddave85, Thursday, 10 October 2013 15:44 (eleven years ago)

Then one day Devan came home from work and said he was drove past a sign that said "LAKIN."

http://www.nationalparkcentralreservations.com/images/made/images/hotel_uploads/Jacob_lake_inn_M_668_365_80.jpg

― Low down bad refrigerator (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 10 October 2013 15:57 (eleven years ago)

goddamn Lakynn sucks so bad, poor kid

good luck USA

― the tune was space, Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:00 (eleven years ago)

There's a totally annoying right-wing troll woman here, Katie Hopkins, who got into some trouble for suggesting she didn't encourage friendships with kids with names like Mason and Chardonnay, or kids named after places, because of what the parents might be like.
.
.
.
.
.
Her youngest daughter is called India.

― aldi young dudes (suzy), Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:11 (eleven years ago)

That's it. We're naming this baby Smyrna Delaware if it's a girl, Dover Delaware if it's a boy.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:16 (eleven years ago)

Rebobyth

― how's life, Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:19 (eleven years ago)

Seriously , carl, are you heading toward a J name?

― No more kisses (sunny successor), Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:23 (eleven years ago)

We talked about it but couldn't settle on a J name that we liked, and it would have to be the most amazing name ever to get past my general skepticism towards all of us having the same first initial.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:27 (eleven years ago)

i vote for carl if it is a boy, and carl if it is a girl

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:28 (eleven years ago)

dear god how long do we have before people actually start naming their children after their screennames in this horrible world

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:29 (eleven years ago)

"this is my son Xxpuppyshoes420xX"

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:30 (eleven years ago)

Big fan of unique names as well... we have a 6 year old little boy Guinness Bronx and a 2 Year old little girl named Guylee Dallas... they fit them so well I know they were made for them

― sleepingsignal, Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:31 (eleven years ago)

carl what will be babby's last name? iirc you and Jeff have different last names? Always wonder about this.

― quincie, Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:39 (eleven years ago)

My parents gave me a "unique" name with a "unique" spelling, and as an adult all that names does for me is the following: Out my white trash background to potential employers; confuse any customer service rep/host who must take down my name; baffle speakers of foreign languages; force me to explain myself in any situation involving a name tag.

― kate78, Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:40 (eleven years ago)

Baby gets Jeff's last name. I hate that we are defaulting to his last name (grr patriarchy), but neither one of us was wild about hyphenating and what finally did it for me was when my batshit relatives started coming out of nowhere to try and get in touch with me. I have no intention of telling those people that this child exists so using Jeff's name will shield the poor thing from any attempts at contact.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:50 (eleven years ago)

How about J name/screen name combo? Jarl Jagatha has a nice ring.

― emil.y, Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:51 (eleven years ago)

No Jasmine, please.

― aldi young dudes (suzy), Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:53 (eleven years ago)

Oh no we would spell it more creatively, like Jazzmynne or Jjasmin.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:54 (eleven years ago)

there is at least one creative spelling i would avoid

― ACA: not bad, needs more death panels (jjjusten), Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:56 (eleven years ago)

Jismine?

― aldi young dudes (suzy), Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:56 (eleven years ago)

I want any kid to have my wife's name (grr patriarchy indeed, everyone we know with different last names gives the kid the dad's name) while my wife has no particular attachment to hers and wants to use mind because I'm essentially the only person in the country with my last name who has any possibility of passing it on.

In all seriousness we're thinking about using the portmanteau of our names that some friends use to refer to us collectively and thereby having three names in the immediate family. Cause it's america and you can do that shit.

― joygoat, Thursday, 10 October 2013 16:59 (eleven years ago)

I like using my last name because it is two letters shorter. I'm going to have to write this name a billon times in my life, so not having to do those two extra letters is going to really save some time in the long run.

― Jeff, Thursday, 10 October 2013 17:06 (eleven years ago)

I like how Jemima is a posh name in Britain. I guess it would be pretty hard to pull of in the US.

― The normative power of the factual (Michael White), Thursday, 10 October 2013 17:09 (eleven years ago)

Portmanteaus of our last names all sound like digestive disorders.

xp definitely not Jemima.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 17:10 (eleven years ago)

GUYLEE DALLAS you guys

― kinder, Thursday, 10 October 2013 18:55 (eleven years ago)

how about
buffandmax

― kinder, Thursday, 10 October 2013 18:56 (eleven years ago)

lol

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 19:00 (eleven years ago)

This is my daughter PATRICK SWAYZE

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 10 October 2013 19:52 (eleven years ago)

Nobody puts baby, etc. etc.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 19:53 (eleven years ago)

she's like the wind

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 10 October 2013 19:53 (eleven years ago)

I think Patrick Swayze Roadhouse is a wonderful name for a girl

― Bitch Fantastic (DJP), Thursday, 10 October 2013 19:55 (eleven years ago)

I think Vin Liesl would be the best name for this child, male or female.

― Untt (La Lechera), Thursday, 10 October 2013 19:58 (eleven years ago)

I just tried to Like that. Well played.

― aldi young dudes (suzy), Thursday, 10 October 2013 20:01 (eleven years ago)

I shall name him..

G

― reckless woo (Z S), Thursday, 10 October 2013 20:10 (eleven years ago)

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2009/10/09/bad-lt-port-call-new-orlean.jpg

G... heh heh heh heh heh

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 20:29 (eleven years ago)

Is Roxanne tacky? Ramona?

― brio, Thursday, 10 October 2013 20:29 (eleven years ago)

I like Roxanne.

Oddly enough, Ramona reminds me too much of a Sublime song. Roxanne does not remind me too much of a Police song. GO FIG.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 20:30 (eleven years ago)

Can you use your last name as a middle name, Carl? That's what I did with Henry Martin B

― No more kisses (sunny successor), Thursday, 10 October 2013 21:37 (eleven years ago)

Thank god on the J thing fwiw

― No more kisses (sunny successor), Thursday, 10 October 2013 21:40 (eleven years ago)

My friend called her daughter Ramona. I think it's cute!

― kinder, Thursday, 10 October 2013 22:14 (eleven years ago)

yeah i like Ramona

― No more kisses (sunny successor), Thursday, 10 October 2013 22:16 (eleven years ago)

id call her ro-mo

― No more kisses (sunny successor), Thursday, 10 October 2013 22:17 (eleven years ago)

I've got my heart set on a specific middle name that is not my last name (spoiler - it's Leakynn).

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 22:29 (eleven years ago)

Ramona is pretty cute now that I think about it.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 22:30 (eleven years ago)

Got a boy coming in a couple months. Roman is in our top 5.

― Me & Mahomies (Spottie_Ottie_Dope), Thursday, 10 October 2013 22:35 (eleven years ago)

Xhillyn

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 10 October 2013 22:37 (eleven years ago)

lol

― No more kisses (sunny successor), Thursday, 10 October 2013 22:47 (eleven years ago)

Seriously , carl, are you heading toward a J name?

― No more kisses (sunny successor), Thursday, 10 October 2013 17:23 (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

We talked about it but couldn't settle on a J name that we liked, and it would have to be the most amazing name ever to get past my general skepticism towards all of us having the same first initial.

― carl agatha, Thursday, 10 October 2013 17:27 (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

jeff II?

― Austrian Economics (nakhchivan), Thursday, 10 October 2013 22:51 (eleven years ago)

Some baby names from my friends who have spawned recently: August, Roma, Ernest, Holly, Vivienne, Daniel, Jacob, Otis, Michael, Maxfield, Ayla.

― aldi young dudes (suzy), Thursday, 10 October 2013 23:04 (eleven years ago)

J3nnijeff

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 10 October 2013 23:10 (eleven years ago)

does maxfield have some sort of meaning or is it just name a child after a fictional new england boarding school season

― Austrian Economics (nakhchivan), Thursday, 10 October 2013 23:12 (eleven years ago)

http://dreamgardener.com/images/maxphoto.jpg

― it was discovered that there's no rule that a dog cannot play basketball (bends), Thursday, 10 October 2013 23:15 (eleven years ago)

It's short for Maximum Field.

― Immediate Follower (NA), Thursday, 10 October 2013 23:20 (eleven years ago)

My cousin's child is the Maxfield in the list and yes, he was named after Maxfield Parrish (and got her dad's middle name, which is Evan, for his middle name). My favourite name on this list is Roma.

New parents, please choose the middle name with equal care. I don't know what is worse about my own middle name, the fact that it's IMO trashy, doesn't really scan, or the coincidence of it being the title of a Nick Cave song. I *loathe* Nick Cave.

― aldi young dudes (suzy), Thursday, 10 October 2013 23:40 (eleven years ago)

is your middle name henry lee y/n

― kate78, Friday, 11 October 2013 00:00 (eleven years ago)

It's short for Maximum Field.

LOL

― carl agatha, Friday, 11 October 2013 00:03 (eleven years ago)

kate78: n

My mother was ¡muy estupido! in the middle names department, would have been all sorts of advantageous to choose Rosamond after my granny's rich cousin...

― aldi young dudes (suzy), Friday, 11 October 2013 00:09 (eleven years ago)

baby name story, personal edition: my wife and i changed our middle names to her maiden and both have my last name (patriarchy lite? i dunno)
anywho, our son has two middle names: a given name and wife's maiden name

― shiny trippy people holding bandz (m bison), Friday, 11 October 2013 02:44 (eleven years ago)

My last name comes from a side of the family that I not only am estranged from but actively dislike and avoid. It's not meaningless to me, because it's mine and it's who I am (esp since, with such a common first name, I've been called by my first and last name together by most people for most of my life). Plus some effed up part of me feels like as a genetic descendent of those people it's also my burden to bear, in a "I will take this cursed name to the grave with me" melodramatic, Gothic novel way. But I don't want to put this name on my child and thus subject the kid to whatever burden comes with it, especially if that burden is exposure to relatives. I mean if one day kid is like, "I'm road tripping to the ancestral home of your people to understand where I come from," I won't stop him/her but I will definitely insist s/he go through some kind of Remo Williams-style intensive mental and physical self defense program in preparation.

That sounds kind of crazy when I type it all out and I probably shouldn't post it.

― carl agatha, Friday, 11 October 2013 12:19 (eleven years ago)

Whoops too late.

A whole new last name for our family unit would be a great solution but neither Jeff nor I have any tolerance for bureaucratic paperwork (I think 65% of why we got rid of our car is that neither one of us could stand dealing with the registration/ city sticker/parking sticker renewal hassles) so really an hour or so of OTT handwringing on my part before taking the path of least resistance is a small price to pay for not having to fill out forms or stand in line at the county clerk's office.

― carl agatha, Friday, 11 October 2013 12:23 (eleven years ago)

So have we decided yet?

― Jeff, Friday, 11 October 2013 12:27 (eleven years ago)

Yes you have it's Ermagild.

― Tottenham Heelspur (in orbit), Friday, 11 October 2013 12:28 (eleven years ago)

ermahgerd

― obi wankin' obi (Autumn Almanac), Friday, 11 October 2013 12:32 (eleven years ago)

So have we decided yet?

― Jeff, Friday, October 11, 2013 12:27 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

We're 2/3 of the way there.

― carl agatha, Friday, 11 October 2013 12:33 (eleven years ago)

Re: middle names; for Ava we went with my mum's maiden name: Galvin. For Tallulah we went with a second-choice for her first name: Greer.

― Michael Jones, Friday, 11 October 2013 12:45 (eleven years ago)

from Germany

http://chantalismus.tumblr.com/

― how's life, Friday, 11 October 2013 15:41 (eleven years ago)

suzy, I had no idea your middle name was "Weeping Song"

― Bitch Fantastic (DJP), Friday, 11 October 2013 15:44 (eleven years ago)

Is Roxanne tacky?

Never. It was the name of Alexander the Great's wife, whom he married when in modern day Afghanistan. She was reputed to be quite a looker.

― Aimless, Friday, 11 October 2013 15:51 (eleven years ago)

I know this was all probably done as a hilar joke but omg I groaned when I saw this FB update

If you had to name your kid after a typeface, what would you pick?

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 12 October 2013 00:39 (eleven years ago)

If you had to name your kid after a typeface, what would you pick?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_Casual

― She makes flapjack (doo dah), Saturday, 12 October 2013 00:45 (eleven years ago)

typeface: Perpetua

― Aimless, Saturday, 12 October 2013 00:53 (eleven years ago)

comic sans

― anonymous jazz majors (Matt P), Saturday, 12 October 2013 01:13 (eleven years ago)

Wing Dings

― carl agatha, Saturday, 12 October 2013 01:43 (eleven years ago)

Trebuchet for me

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Saturday, 12 October 2013 01:53 (eleven years ago)

papyrus, would call him pappy

― shiny trippy people holding bandz (m bison), Saturday, 12 October 2013 01:57 (eleven years ago)

how is pappy formed

― shiny trippy people holding bandz (m bison), Saturday, 12 October 2013 01:57 (eleven years ago)

r_ansi

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 12 October 2013 02:01 (eleven years ago)

pappy mcdingface

― obi wankin' obi (Autumn Almanac), Saturday, 12 October 2013 02:05 (eleven years ago)

I'm actually sort of surprised that I've never seen lucida, clarendon, or caslon as kids names all of which seem sort of plausible.

Also like a month ago I started hearing the name "ariana grande" and was wondering why some typeface was suddenly popular

― joygoat, Saturday, 12 October 2013 06:25 (eleven years ago)

Trinité... I can picture at least one couple I know of naming their kid after a typeface. Now that I think of it, I'd be surprised if they didn't.

I've been stuck on the names Lunamía, Solangel and Xóchi/Xóchitl lately. Female twins named Lunamía and Solangel translates to my moon and sun angel. Been writing tiny stories about Lunamía. I just like the way Xóchi/Xóchitl look. I also like mariposa for a name.

― *tera, Saturday, 12 October 2013 15:31 (eleven years ago)

ive had a couple of students named xochitl, its the coolest name in the world

― shiny trippy people holding bandz (m bison), Saturday, 12 October 2013 15:34 (eleven years ago)

I couldn't put a ó in a kids name. You'd reduce their typing speed for their whole life.

― Jeff, Saturday, 12 October 2013 15:40 (eleven years ago)

cabron u dont need accents when u type all the time in english, ppl will know when u type guantanamo that the emphasis is on TAN and not NA and ppl will know XOCHITL

― shiny trippy people holding bandz (m bison), Saturday, 12 October 2013 15:43 (eleven years ago)

Ha! My last name takes an accent on the first letter. I leave it out and it gets mispronounced but would with it on anyway so... my official name gets butchered all the time: Teresita

― *tera, Saturday, 12 October 2013 17:52 (eleven years ago)

i love that

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 12 October 2013 17:58 (eleven years ago)

Thank you! Now and then I wish I had not gone "Tera" in the 3rd grade. I feel I would have had a completely different life sticking with just Teresita but even in the 3rd grade I felt so limited for some reason.

― *tera, Saturday, 12 October 2013 18:07 (eleven years ago)

I went to school with an Ursula, Osen, Noris, Narcia, Maru, Aida and Yesenia and loved all those name at the time.

― *tera, Saturday, 12 October 2013 18:56 (eleven years ago)

Ursula

my gramma's name! RIP

― shiny trippy people holding bandz (m bison), Sunday, 13 October 2013 02:38 (eleven years ago)

Terasita and Tera are both great, *tera! Seems like you won either way.

― how's life, Sunday, 13 October 2013 10:07 (eleven years ago)

Thank you

― *tera, Monday, 14 October 2013 06:44 (eleven years ago)

http://jezebel.com/map-sixty-years-of-the-most-popular-names-for-girls-s-1443501909

Explains why about 5% of my graduating class was named Jennifer.

― joygoat, Friday, 18 October 2013 21:16 (eleven years ago)

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/192we19gx17khgif/ku-bigpic.gif

― pplains, Friday, 18 October 2013 21:31 (eleven years ago)

Jennifer, Jessica, and Emily all had quite the runs! It was interesting to see in which states the leading names for future years first broke out--not at all where I expected (Appalachian states, Utah).

I predict that Holly is gonna be big, simply because this is what I would name a girl child if I had a girl child (see: so not gonna happen). It would be short for Holland, which is my mom's middle name due to *her* mother having been born in Holland.

― quincie, Friday, 18 October 2013 21:37 (eleven years ago)

I would totally name a cat Holly, but I think my mom (who by all accounts will end up sans grandchildren) might be offended.

― quincie, Friday, 18 October 2013 21:38 (eleven years ago)

(I should note that my mom has always gone by Holly, not her first name or full middle name. And that this has resulted in her compulsive purchasing of holly-themed wrapping paper and holiday cards at the post-Christmas sales, natch.)

― quincie, Friday, 18 October 2013 21:39 (eleven years ago)

I like Holland! The only woman I know of with that name is Holland Taylor, the mom on "2 1/2 Men."

― Low down bad refrigerator (Dan Peterson), Friday, 18 October 2013 21:52 (eleven years ago)

Jennifer's reign of terror was pretty epic. Proud to have been a part of it.

― carl agatha, Friday, 18 October 2013 22:11 (eleven years ago)

my sister is a proud member of the jennifer class of 1978

all my friends are naming their girls olivia these days. well all 2 of them.

― panettone for the painfully alone (mayor jingleberries), Friday, 18 October 2013 22:28 (eleven years ago)

carl, do you remember the Mandy and Jenny dolls of the 70s? Jenny was my fave. I will look for a pic.

(note: Mandy = blonde, Jenny = brunette)

― quincie, Friday, 18 October 2013 22:32 (eleven years ago)

I do not remember these dolls.

― carl agatha, Friday, 18 October 2013 22:34 (eleven years ago)

i love that state/name popularity gif so much
like the entire country was subject to the whims of the warring factions of baby girls
1970s: THE JENNIFER DYNASTY
and then seeing JENNIFER JENNIFER JENNIFER JENNIFER like aphex twin's face on every child's face

― shiny trippy people holding bandz (m bison), Friday, 18 October 2013 23:28 (eleven years ago)

Yeah, I'd noticed from poking around the Baby Name Wizard's NameMapper that baby-name trends often start in Utah and surrounding states. Utah parents have a peculiar approach to baby naming that is probably somehow related to Mormonism, but I also get the impression that rural Westerners -- frontier folk! rugged individualists! -- are less likely to feel beholden to traditional choices.

― Geoffrey Schweppes (jaymc), Friday, 18 October 2013 23:35 (eleven years ago)

I feel like in the UK lots of girls were called Holly around the same time names like Lauren were popular

― kinder, Friday, 18 October 2013 23:44 (eleven years ago)

During one of those Jennifer years, I was half-expecting Massachusetts to blink on with "Nicole" or something in spirit with '72.

― pplains, Friday, 18 October 2013 23:45 (eleven years ago)

jaymc, another Utah thing is name the girls something starting with the same letter as the mother's name, and the boys something starting with the same letter as the father's name. Which, when you have nine or ten childrens, can force creativity.

― quincie, Saturday, 19 October 2013 02:36 (eleven years ago)

quince, I remember those dolls. I had Jenny and Becky who was the redhead.

― tokyo rosemary, Saturday, 19 October 2013 03:09 (eleven years ago)

Oh I totally forgot about Becky! I think she was introduced later.

I looooooved that Jenny doll, but looking a pics now, I realize that they were pretty crappy dolls overall.

― quincie, Saturday, 19 October 2013 14:41 (eleven years ago)

I know five baby boys born this year.. and two are named Kayden/Kaiden. Sheesh.

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Sunday, 20 October 2013 03:00 (eleven years ago)

Sorry I know that has little to do with the discussion. But I was the only Alexis I knew growing up so I can't play along with the name domination game! The name seems to be slowly getting its due though. Feel like half the girls in my class were named Jennifer too, that name is such a force.

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Sunday, 20 October 2013 03:02 (eleven years ago)

Felt like the only Tre growing up, and now they're everywhere, ones without the 'y' even.

― pplains, Sunday, 20 October 2013 03:27 (eleven years ago)

We picked a name. I hope he/she likes it!

― Jeff, Sunday, 20 October 2013 09:25 (eleven years ago)

Yay!

― tokyo rosemary, Sunday, 20 October 2013 11:15 (eleven years ago)

Great! Now, to paraphrase a friend of mine, you have to be very careful not to meet a horrible person of the same name before babby comes, forever turning you off the name.

― quincie, Sunday, 20 October 2013 14:41 (eleven years ago)

they shd feel ok about that, not likely to meet to many Polpots these days!

― shiny trippy people holding bandz (m bison), Sunday, 20 October 2013 14:46 (eleven years ago)

*tucks away horrible dictator baby names list into coat pocket*

― shiny trippy people holding bandz (m bison), Sunday, 20 October 2013 14:46 (eleven years ago)

four months pass...

I was going through starred items in my feed reader and I am pretty sure I starred this to post in this thread:

http://www.betterafter.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/backpack_corner_makeover.jpg

― carl agatha, Friday, 21 February 2014 16:51 (eleven years ago)

Griffin, Murphy, & Layton sounds like a law firm with little coat hooks for their briefcases in the entryway.

― joygoat, Friday, 21 February 2014 17:15 (eleven years ago)

Ha!

I like that the names are written in chalk. It's a good reminder to the kids that nothing, including their place in the household, is a definite thing.

― carl agatha, Friday, 21 February 2014 17:19 (eleven years ago)

I am dying to know what their last name is.

― kate78, Friday, 21 February 2014 17:47 (eleven years ago)

Wimmer, it looks like? http://scattershotdotcom.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/the-backpack-wall/

― carl agatha, Friday, 21 February 2014 17:55 (eleven years ago)

Aw man, I was hoping their pseudo-WASPy aspirational first names were paired with some long, ethnic surname. Griffin Kwiatkowski. Murphy Petrovic, Layton Papadopoulos.

― kate78, Friday, 21 February 2014 18:12 (eleven years ago)

the other day i heard someone address their kid as vegas.

― fit and working again, Friday, 21 February 2014 18:28 (eleven years ago)

that's a plural noun

― Burt Stuntin (Hurting 2), Friday, 21 February 2014 18:50 (eleven years ago)

The naming habits of aspirational-but-clueless soccer moms leave something to be desired.

These people strike me as the type who have those awful calligraphy transfers on their dining-room walls, the kind that say HOME or FAMILY followed by some cheesy aphorism relating to the concept of HOME or FAMILY.

YOU THERE! THIS IS A REVOLUTION! UP AGAINST THE WALLS, YOU INSUFFERABLE IDIOTS.

― baked beings on toast (suzy), Friday, 21 February 2014 18:57 (eleven years ago)

Jeez suzy. I mean, yeah, it's kinda weird, but "insufferable idiots"?

― how's life, Friday, 21 February 2014 19:06 (eleven years ago)

What revolution? The one where we go back to naming everybody "Dave"?

― how's life, Friday, 21 February 2014 19:11 (eleven years ago)

We have never lived in a time where everyone is named Dave.

Honestly, I don't know what (if anything, save warm air) goes through the minds of people who choose names like that. This may be touching a nerve right now because my mom is about to name a new puppy something straight outta the Soccer Mom Baby Name Handbook. But half the time I'm not sure what's going through her mind, either.

― baked beings on toast (suzy), Friday, 21 February 2014 19:15 (eleven years ago)

http://img0.etsystatic.com/000/0/6505086/il_fullxfull.300002946.jpg?ref=l2

― Airwrecka Bliptrap Blapmantis (ENBB), Friday, 21 February 2014 19:28 (eleven years ago)

It really is awful.

― Airwrecka Bliptrap Blapmantis (ENBB), Friday, 21 February 2014 19:29 (eleven years ago)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4158Po9Wv7L.jpg

― Airwrecka Bliptrap Blapmantis (ENBB), Friday, 21 February 2014 19:29 (eleven years ago)

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/08/1e/c4/081ec4877a9621db234fcc986ba473d8.jpg

― Airwrecka Bliptrap Blapmantis (ENBB), Friday, 21 February 2014 19:30 (eleven years ago)

Ha!

I like that the names are written in chalk. It's a good reminder to the kids that nothing, including their place in the household, is a definite thing.

― carl agatha, Friday, February 21, 2014 12:19 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

A+

― Nhex, Friday, 21 February 2014 19:31 (eleven years ago)

Those wall text things always struck me as one of those "trends" conceived by the home reno/painting industry to get us to spend extra money decorating our homes and then redecorating them again a few years later when it looks hopelessly dated.

― Burt Stuntin (Hurting 2), Friday, 21 February 2014 19:33 (eleven years ago)

WE say Grace
and WE say MA'am
if YOU AIN't iNtO that
then we dON't giVE a damn
{ twang }

― Burt Stuntin (Hurting 2), Friday, 21 February 2014 19:35 (eleven years ago)

Not baby name-related, but my mother has a print of this hanging in the kitchen:

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/34/45/77/344577da68bb0255385760cfc25e501a.jpg

― Orson Wellies (in orbit), Friday, 21 February 2014 19:37 (eleven years ago)

Those declarative statements of identity are a trap. You put up a paragraph of text on your wall about how you're loud and say grace and are forgiving but what happens if you want quiet time or question your faith or want to hold a grudge for awhile? You can't, because then your wall would be a lie.

― carl agatha, Friday, 21 February 2014 19:38 (eleven years ago)

All of my Mormon families' homes look exactly like that.

― lord of the files (Crabbits), Friday, 21 February 2014 19:39 (eleven years ago)

xp thank you for new DN!

― We Do Really Loud (doo dah), Friday, 21 February 2014 19:39 (eleven years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF1chLj1fro

― kate78, Friday, 21 February 2014 19:47 (eleven years ago)

Thank you, Kate!

― baked beings on toast (suzy), Friday, 21 February 2014 19:57 (eleven years ago)

I've known a lot more Mikes than Daves.

― Burt Stuntin (Hurting 2), Friday, 21 February 2014 20:08 (eleven years ago)

Dave, Mike, Chris, Brian

― how's life, Friday, 21 February 2014 20:33 (eleven years ago)

Matt, Andy, Scott, and Mark

― we slowly invented brains (La Lechera), Friday, 21 February 2014 20:36 (eleven years ago)

My eyes are so strained, for a split second, I thought those backpacks were urinals.

― pplains, Friday, 21 February 2014 21:08 (eleven years ago)

three months pass...

Starts out in somewhat "no shit" territory, but eventually brings catnip for the baby name statistics heads:
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-to-tell-someones-age-when-all-you-know-is-her-name/

It's a US-centric article, so interesting (to me) which of these are the same or different in the UK: my cousins have started spawning and several of their kids' names appear on the US "youngest names" list, but on the other hand I think a British Gavin (6-11 in the US) or Sandra (49-66 in the US) would probably be my age or a little older, so mid 30s to early 40s?

Plus I liked the "bimodal names" nod because various friends and family have been calling their kids things I think of as distinctly old lady names (Pr!mr0s3?) - though I suppose the names I think of as old lady names may not even be bimodal now, as the old ladies I knew called them in my childhood have probably all passed on, to end the post on a morbid note...

― the ghosts of dead pom-bears (a passing spacecadet), Friday, 30 May 2014 15:20 (eleven years ago)

I really hope that Dorothy makes a comeback, that is a good name.

This site has a feature that lets you rate names on what qualities you associate with them and see averages from everyone who has voted

http://www.babynamewizard.com/baby-name/girl/dory

― Groovy Wordbender (soref), Friday, 30 May 2014 15:43 (eleven years ago)

I like Dorothy. I had a great aunt named Dorothy and her nickname was Duckie!

― carl agatha, Friday, 30 May 2014 15:46 (eleven years ago)

My college friend Dorothy goes by Dodi.

― baked beings on toast (suzy), Friday, 30 May 2014 16:25 (eleven years ago)

Interesting blog but they haven't said how they deal with variations in spelling - also surprised that 'Sam' appears on there a couple of times rather than Samuel? Is this likely?

― kinder, Saturday, 31 May 2014 10:42 (eleven years ago)

I didn't notice the Sams but I did note that Bill was down as an old-skewed name while William was listed separately as having a wide age range.

While it seems anecdotally true in the UK that kids are being called William again but "Bill" remains old-fashioned, I don't know if you'd see any stats for that because I'm guessing most Bills were William on their birth certificate anyway. But maybe the US system or their particular method of statistics gathering works differently, I don't know.

― the ghosts of dead pom-bears (a passing spacecadet), Saturday, 31 May 2014 11:03 (eleven years ago)

btw the data comes from here and/or here:
http://www.babynamewizard.com/
http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/#ht=2

I can't see anything about how they combine variant spellings but the babynamewizard site is kind of maze-like so it may be in there somewhere...

― the ghosts of dead pom-bears (a passing spacecadet), Saturday, 31 May 2014 11:06 (eleven years ago)

I love going to the ssa site and viewing them by number of births. 718 babies born last year named Kash with a K!

― how's life, Saturday, 31 May 2014 13:51 (eleven years ago)

Re: the "Sam" thing. In 1978, the year I was born, there were 110 boys just named Bob! "Bob" has fallen off the top 1000 though.

― how's life, Saturday, 31 May 2014 13:55 (eleven years ago)

I sometimes regret naming my daughter Chloe after discovering what a popular name it was when she was born. Our last name is fairly unique though, so she'll grow up with decent SEO.

― Darin, Saturday, 31 May 2014 15:11 (eleven years ago)

Make sure she never watches that Liam Neeson movie

― Nhex, Saturday, 31 May 2014 19:27 (eleven years ago)

hahaha
my son's name is in the top 20 of boy's names for his year, but our weirdo last name means he will probably be known by his weirdo last name

― smooth hymnal (m bison), Sunday, 1 June 2014 15:05 (eleven years ago)

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/limits.html

If you go to Beyond the Top 1000, you can download text files of all instances where 5 or more kids were named a thing, which is how I found out that last year there were 7 boys born who received the name Chrisangel.

http://mindfreak.blox.pl/resource/bookcrissangelartists.jpg

― how's life, Sunday, 1 June 2014 15:30 (eleven years ago)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bp8OXbmIAAA03sO.png

― did click through tho on the money (Eazy), Thursday, 12 June 2014 15:51 (eleven years ago)

I have three student employees (undergrads) this summer named Katelyn. Where did that come from?

― cheese is never wrong (doo dah), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 14:52 (eleven years ago)

I swear there were 800 Laurens and almost as many Hayleys at my niece's graduation last Friday.

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 15:04 (eleven years ago)

Lauren has been ongoing, but I haven't had any Hayleys. Will report back after the start of fall term!

― cheese is never wrong (doo dah), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 15:28 (eleven years ago)

I have a cousin named Haley who just finished her freshman year of college. Her brother's name is Heath.

― Disagree. And im not into firey solos chief. (Phil D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 15:29 (eleven years ago)

That's a good name.

― carl agatha, Tuesday, 17 June 2014 15:34 (eleven years ago)

I like it.

― Jeff, Tuesday, 17 June 2014 15:40 (eleven years ago)

Toffee is good.

― Immediate Follower (NA), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 15:48 (eleven years ago)

Interesting chart above. I'm surprised that my name is pretty close to the top of the list. I thought my name started to lose popularity after the 70s. Meanwhile, my 11-year-old son's name is much further down and my 30-year-old brother's name is right near the bottom.

― odd proggy geezer (Moodles), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 16:08 (eleven years ago)

Paul John Ringo George

― pplains, Tuesday, 17 June 2014 16:31 (eleven years ago)

Because of the Wizard of OZ I did wish (at one time) that I had been named Dorothy. In my twenties I met a Dorothy and she was five or so years older than me. She went by Dot and she was so adorable. I like the name Primrose, also like Bonnie, Bettina and just about all the older names.

Heard this one recently and liked it: Jacinto spelled Xacinto. Met a tiny one named Walter, he will one day grow into his name. Walter seemed to precocious a name.

― *tera, Wednesday, 18 June 2014 06:21 (eleven years ago)

ive had a couple of xochitls, and all old school x names are the shit. never seen xacinto.

― smooth hymnal (m bison), Wednesday, 18 June 2014 13:37 (eleven years ago)

five months pass...

friends of my wife named their kid Brayden

NOOOOOOO

― 18th Century Celebrity WS of Shame (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 2 December 2014 21:21 (ten years ago)

Ha. Recently had to pretend to congratulate somebody on naming a kid something like that.

― put your money where the maracas are (how's life), Tuesday, 2 December 2014 21:27 (ten years ago)

five months pass...

Met a family with little kids Cash and Waylon. They're bad names, and I think themed siblings are the tackiest, but I can't help but feel like that's somehow halfway awesome.

― franny glasshole (franny glass), Friday, 8 May 2015 18:36 (ten years ago)

I know a Waylon.

― Jeff, Friday, 8 May 2015 18:42 (ten years ago)

I have four friends who've named their baby boys Henry in the last five years. That's a small sample, I'm aware, but Henry seems like a grandpa name that's making a comeback.

― Johnny Fever, Friday, 8 May 2015 18:48 (ten years ago)

friends of my wife named their kid Brayden

NOOOOOOO

― 18th Century Celebrity WS of Shame (Hurting 2), Tuesday, December 2, 2014 4:21 PM (5 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol

― marcos, Friday, 8 May 2015 18:48 (ten years ago)

henry is totally a grampa name that is coming back. still no harrys though

― marcos, Friday, 8 May 2015 18:49 (ten years ago)

cash and waylon don't bother me on their own (well maybe cash is a little too much) but together as themed names, i don't know

― marcos, Friday, 8 May 2015 18:50 (ten years ago)

the number of people i meet who name their kids "jack" is astonishing

― marcos, Friday, 8 May 2015 18:51 (ten years ago)

what is it about that name that so many people are like "yea, let's name him jack"

― marcos, Friday, 8 May 2015 18:51 (ten years ago)

idgi

― marcos, Friday, 8 May 2015 18:51 (ten years ago)

sooo many henries already
jack sounds like 'good guy' name and you can scream it if you want to conjure the ghost of robin williams

i know a dog named waylon and a kid whose middle name is cash

― Florianne Fracke (La Lechera), Friday, 8 May 2015 19:11 (ten years ago)

I have four friends who've named their baby boys Henry in the last five years. That's a small sample, I'm aware, but Henry seems like a grandpa name that's making a comeback.

― Johnny Fever, Friday, 8 May 2015 18:48 (27 minutes ago) Permalink

lol this is my kid's name (he is under 5) (I am not in the US). In the US charts it went from #126 in 2000 to #33 in 2014, so a definite spike.

BTW the US top 1000 baby names of 2014 just got published (http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/popularnames.cgi). That is a fun read, especially the bottom ~200.

― franny glasshole (franny glass), Friday, 8 May 2015 19:24 (ten years ago)

I feel like Jack is over already. It was huge a couple years ago. It's like, idk, a solid man's name and maybe a total departure from names like jaylen and kayden etc.

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Friday, 8 May 2015 19:25 (ten years ago)

Also I know a Henry-called-Harry (maybe 6 or 7). That is in NZ.

Also the 'Jack' thing is UK-Aus-NZ is it not? I don't know too many little Jacks in Canada, here it seems to be all Braeden Landon Nolan Parker Carter Connor etc etc.

― franny glasshole (franny glass), Friday, 8 May 2015 19:26 (ten years ago)

I know a lot of Henries, Jacks, and Charles's.

You know what I was thinking about the other day? The name Seymour. When was the last time that was popular? I feel like Seymour, Milton and Ira must have all been popular at the same time.

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Friday, 8 May 2015 19:26 (ten years ago)

There are a lot of US Jacks.

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Friday, 8 May 2015 19:26 (ten years ago)

a few Harries round here
My littlun has the same name as another ilx babby iirc

― kinder, Friday, 8 May 2015 19:27 (ten years ago)

If I have another boy he will probably be Charles. My husband will absolutely not agree to Tobias or Theodore but he can get on board with having a wee Charlie.

xpost Jack is 41 so yeah. But still Jackson is more popular at #17, which I think reflects my experience of meeting a million little Jacksons-never-called-Jack.

― franny glasshole (franny glass), Friday, 8 May 2015 19:31 (ten years ago)

My kid's name hasn't been in the top 1000 since 1997, and was last in the top 100 in 1930. That 538 article about baby names and ages has it listed as one the top 25 oldest male names which kind of pleases me.

― joygoat, Friday, 8 May 2015 19:34 (ten years ago)

anyone else try and guess what their pregnant friends are going to call their babies? Is that weird? I got it bang-on once but never told them.

― kinder, Friday, 8 May 2015 19:38 (ten years ago)

Ivy is four spots more popular than it was last year. I guess if it's going to get mega popular, at least our Ivy will be a forerunner.

― from batman to balloon dog (carl agatha), Friday, 8 May 2015 19:43 (ten years ago)

jaymc guessed that we would name our child "Roy." He was incorrect.

― from batman to balloon dog (carl agatha), Friday, 8 May 2015 19:44 (ten years ago)

lol

― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 8 May 2015 19:49 (ten years ago)

naming our son Forest so I may call him Ghost Dog

― Sufjan Grafton, Friday, 8 May 2015 20:18 (ten years ago)

my friend has an Alice Ivy

― kinder, Friday, 8 May 2015 20:21 (ten years ago)

Ivy is suuuuch a beautiful name, carl agatha.

If I ever have a girl my favourite first-middle combo would give the initials IPOD. On the fence about whether that would be terrible or totally fine for a kid.

― franny glasshole (franny glass), Friday, 8 May 2015 20:36 (ten years ago)

Mine's initials are CBDK (two middle names, figured we'd only have one shot at a kid) and as a graphic designer who has done a lot of printmaking I thought seriously about finding a good M and Y name for middle ones so he'd be CMYK.

― joygoat, Friday, 8 May 2015 21:10 (ten years ago)

Heh I could see that being a pretty good nickname. xp

― from batman to balloon dog (carl agatha), Friday, 8 May 2015 21:10 (ten years ago)

Our boy is a Henry. Just a good simple name that you can do a lot with.

Also, when in the year 2074 when he's 65 and his return address labels all say HENRY M. BAKER, SR., it's going to look cool.

Of course, if he's using the Sr.- suffix, that might mean there's a Hank Jr. running around, which brings us back to today's OP.

― pplains, Friday, 8 May 2015 21:22 (ten years ago)

I know three Atticuses now. wtf.

― Οὖτις, Friday, 8 May 2015 21:24 (ten years ago)

like that being a trendy name 6-7 years ago is not something I would have guessed.

― Οὖτις, Friday, 8 May 2015 21:25 (ten years ago)

I know several henrys and jacks and way too many dylans and lucases

― Οὖτις, Friday, 8 May 2015 21:26 (ten years ago)

I know an Atticus too! As do many Chilxors.

― Jeff, Friday, 8 May 2015 21:28 (ten years ago)

I have four friends who've named their baby boys Henry in the last five years. That's a small sample, I'm aware, but Henry seems like a grandpa name that's making a comeback.

Yeah I'm pretty pissed about this considering our Henry is 5 1/2 y/o so was clearly the first

― smoochy-woochy touchy-wouchy, (sunny successor), Saturday, 9 May 2015 00:06 (ten years ago)

Henry is a good name. I haven't come across a Henry fwiw.

― Sufjan Grafton, Saturday, 9 May 2015 00:09 (ten years ago)

Met a family with little kids Cash and Waylon. They're bad names, and I think themed siblings are the tackiest, but I can't help but feel like that's somehow halfway awesome.

We named our kid's after the English royal family for which I was named too! I guess it would be tacky if Katharine of Aragon and Fergie's kid Beatrice were more widely known.

It was after Henry was born that I saw a 30 Rock episode where Jack says:

"Don’t over think (baby) names. Stick to Kings and Queens of England. There will never be a president ‘Ashton’, or doctor 'Katniss’, or non-sexually confused 'Lorne’."

― smoochy-woochy touchy-wouchy, (sunny successor), Saturday, 9 May 2015 00:23 (ten years ago)

there is clearly an atticus resurgence, I know a few and at least a couple other parents who were considering it

― marcos, Saturday, 9 May 2015 00:28 (ten years ago)

(I'll admit to briefly considering it too but a second later thought "fuck that,I haven't event read that goddamn book")

― marcos, Saturday, 9 May 2015 00:29 (ten years ago)

I did know some Finches growing up.

― pplains, Saturday, 9 May 2015 00:29 (ten years ago)

I feel like we partially picked a name by how presidential it sounds. Hard to tell though Since there has never been a woman president.

― Jeff, Saturday, 9 May 2015 00:30 (ten years ago)

We named our kid's after the English royal family for which I was named too! I guess it would be tacky if Katharine of Aragon and Fergie's kid Beatrice were more widely known.

Yeah that's a really subtle theme. They are classic names that have been consistently used for generations, and those particular namesakes aren't generally discussed as a trio. It's not like you went with Charles, Diana, and Elizabeth. They could equally have been chosen because you loved Shakespeare or whatever. Noice.

― franny glasshole (franny glass), Saturday, 9 May 2015 00:48 (ten years ago)

Naby bames

― switching letters guy, Saturday, 9 May 2015 00:50 (ten years ago)

I feel like we partially picked a name by how presidential it sounds. Hard to tell though Since there has never been a woman president.

― Jeff, Saturday, May 9, 2015 12:30 AM (52 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The advice we got was to pick a name that would sound good as "Senator __________" and "________, girl detective."

― from batman to balloon dog (carl agatha), Saturday, 9 May 2015 01:31 (ten years ago)

xps sunny, my aunt chose my middle names - i'm named for a royal mother and daughter! but i really dislike them, and would have changed them when i got married if i'd known beforehand that i could.

― just1n3, Saturday, 9 May 2015 02:05 (ten years ago)

My mum always says 'New Zealanders: more English than the English'

― smoochy-woochy touchy-wouchy, (sunny successor), Saturday, 9 May 2015 02:31 (ten years ago)

Now I want to know what your middle names are. Elizabeth Anne ??? Anne Elizabeth? Mary Frances? Mary Jane? Mary Catherine? Margaret Mary?

― smoochy-woochy touchy-wouchy, (sunny successor), Saturday, 9 May 2015 02:40 (ten years ago)

margaret anne! lol i just looked it up and they're NOT mother and daughter, they're aunt and niece duh

― just1n3, Saturday, 9 May 2015 02:58 (ten years ago)

This is a great song for the Henry comeback

― The Once-ler, Saturday, 9 May 2015 03:09 (ten years ago)

Maybe they named you after Ann Margaret? ;)

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Saturday, 9 May 2015 03:11 (ten years ago)

that would have been cooler!

side note: my first name isn't super common but i don't think it's unusual, so i don't get why 97% of white people in the US can't pronounce it right when i introduce myself. ytth tells me it's bc i put the stress on the first syllable and americans stress the 2nd, but when i tell white ppl my name they repeat it back to me as 'just-STAIN' which isn't even a damn name! otoh i realized recently that every african-america, south american or other non-white US person i've met has never gotten my name wrong.

― just1n3, Saturday, 9 May 2015 18:03 (ten years ago)

Could it be your accent throwing them off if you're introducing yourself? When I moved to N. America I had to literally change the way I pronounced my name. Until I did, most people just stared blankly and couldn't fathom the syllables coming out of my mouth (and my name is literally THE most common name for women my age in the US).

― franny glasshole (franny glass), Saturday, 9 May 2015 20:11 (ten years ago)

lol @ just-STAIN

are you from nz as well, franny glass?

i had an unlikeable american acquaintance in christchurch who was very critical of how we all said our e's, and would try to imitate it to show me what she meant (yes, test, sense, etc) and i could not hear or understand what she was going on about but now when i go back to nz that e sound is especially distinctive. (but nothing to be scathing about so she can still eff off.)

― estela, Sunday, 10 May 2015 01:28 (ten years ago)

that's the thing, i don't think so! i feel like it basically sounds the same in newzealish or american! it's just syllable stress that's different.

i will cop to having started overpronouncing my Rs in the last couple of years, in order to be better understood (at target, ask salesguy 'do you sell coat racks?' 'huh?' 'COAT RACKS' 'car racks?' american husband repeats 'coat racks?' salesguy 'oh COAT RACKS' fuckyoufuckyoufuckyou it sounds the same in both accents!)

― just1n3, Sunday, 10 May 2015 01:32 (ten years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/u5wYLgSl.jpg

― pplains, Sunday, 10 May 2015 01:38 (ten years ago)

You know what I was thinking about the other day? The name Seymour. When was the last time that was popular? I feel like Seymour, Milton and Ira must have all been popular at the same time.

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Friday, 8 May 2015 20:26 (2 days ago)

those all seem like old american jewish names, i was going to do a thread about new york jews giving their sons anglo surnames as forenames (see also morton, irving)

― nakhchivan, Sunday, 10 May 2015 01:40 (ten years ago)

xp holy shit that doc was depressing! and that particular guy was such a total sucker but also a douche - he totally thought that being a shut-in gamer dork somehow still entitled him to specify wanting a hot young babe for a ukrainian wife. gross.

― just1n3, Sunday, 10 May 2015 02:48 (ten years ago)

I know three Atticuses now. wtf.

The female version of which would be Attica, I suppose?

― Cram Session in Goniometry (Tom D.), Sunday, 10 May 2015 13:10 (ten years ago)

xp Estela yes, I'm from chch. And my name has one of those short Es in it.

― franny glasshole (franny glass), Sunday, 10 May 2015 13:37 (ten years ago)

Find out what your name would be if you were born today

― in an awkward manor (doo dah), Saturday, 16 May 2015 23:16 (ten years ago)

But.... I was born in the 1970s?

http://i.imgur.com/bRrixND.png

― pplains, Sunday, 17 May 2015 00:18 (ten years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/FGqsIuh.jpg

― the geographibebebe (unregistered), Tuesday, 26 May 2015 20:03 (ten years ago)

At the park yesterday I met a toddler named Tyd3n.

― from batman to balloon dog (carl agatha), Tuesday, 26 May 2015 20:22 (ten years ago)

That is googleproofed.

― from batman to balloon dog (carl agatha), Tuesday, 26 May 2015 20:23 (ten years ago)

What a world we live in that I had to specify that.

― from batman to balloon dog (carl agatha), Tuesday, 26 May 2015 20:23 (ten years ago)

The original post has me wondering if any hipster parents named their son Thurston and are regretting the decision now.

― Immediate Follower (NA), Tuesday, 26 May 2015 20:27 (ten years ago)

that 'name today' thing is pretty cool. My 1990s name is my mother's name. My son's 1930s name is the name that was second on the list for him.

― kinder, Tuesday, 26 May 2015 21:00 (ten years ago)

A well-known UK columnist named her son Thurston.

― scientist/exotic dancer (suzy), Tuesday, 26 May 2015 21:00 (ten years ago)

suzanne moore?

― kinder, Tuesday, 26 May 2015 21:01 (ten years ago)

eleven months pass...

My annual tweetstorm:
https://twitter.com/jmcunning/status/728565729306529793

― jaymc, Friday, 6 May 2016 18:06 (nine years ago)

My name today would be Gloria? Are you sure because that sounds like my 1940s name.

― Quarter measures (sunny successor), Saturday, 7 May 2016 03:07 (nine years ago)

Aww my daughter's a 1950s name would be 'Lovie'

― Quarter measures (sunny successor), Saturday, 7 May 2016 03:10 (nine years ago)

one year passes...

never understood people who decide not to use a person's short name despite the person calling herself by her short name

hi jonathan longfellow

― i n f i n i t y (∞), Friday, 2 June 2017 16:22 (eight years ago)

one year passes...

Alberta 2018 baby names are out. Boys names include:
Alpha
Anikan
Arrow
Attila
Beige
Blu
Camelot
Cannon
Canyon
Captain
Cave
Chapter
Courage
Coyote
Despot
Early
Elizabeth
George-lucas
Grey-Cloud
Hillary
Horizon
Jazzy
Jcjay
Kal'El
Karma
Kingdom
Krypton
Leafhttps://t.co/hLl8puhiDL

— Rob Breakenridge (@RobBreakenridge) January 15, 2019

Continued:
Loki
Makaveli
Mc
Messiah
Murtagh
Nancy
Nation
Ocean
Praise
Prez
Punish
Rambo
Reef
Riot
Rogue
Scythe
Shadow
Spartacus
Tuff
Valour
Zenith
Zeppelinhttps://t.co/hLl8puhiDL

— Rob Breakenridge (@RobBreakenridge) January 15, 2019

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:32 (six years ago)

Whatever brings a parent to harbor such unleavened contempt for their newborn

― A Nugatory Excrescence (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:37 (six years ago)

mookie, since I just discovered that you're in Learned League, did you take the Baby Name 1DS? I was kind of disappointed in it, tbh.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:39 (six years ago)

most of those are better than brayden, jayden, kayden, etc.

Still, what kind of life are you setting up for your son by naming him "Beige"?

― silverfish, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:40 (six years ago)

lol i did not, but i thought of you when i saw it

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:44 (six years ago)

I appreciate how this thread really focuses on how terrible of a name Jayden and the other -ayden names are.

― Yerac, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:44 (six years ago)

I have a nephew named Kainan. It really pains me.

― Yerac, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:46 (six years ago)

Jcjay is pretty solid

― frogbs, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:47 (six years ago)

definitely naming my next cat despot

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:48 (six years ago)

Nancy ffs

― kinder, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:48 (six years ago)

"MC" is really thinking ahead.

― Yerac, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:50 (six years ago)

looking forward to be fired in 20 years by a manager named Braedynn via text

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 21:00 (six years ago)

relative has seen 'Ssss', pronounced similar to "Forrest", in the wild

― why date Ryan Adams in the first place? (Sufjan Grafton), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 21:05 (six years ago)

every white north american born in the last 30 years is called like "braygren snort" or some shit

― ( ͡☉ ͜ʖ ͡☉) (jim in vancouver), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 21:07 (six years ago)

like we'll still be texting in 2039.

― pplains, Thursday, 17 January 2019 02:45 (six years ago)

yeah I was too lazy to dream up the next com style

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Thursday, 17 January 2019 04:04 (six years ago)

There was only one kid with my son's name on that list, meaning there as many people with his name born last year as there are with the name Jeff-Jethro, four times as many named Jaxxon, and five times as many with the name Jaxyn.

― joygoat, Thursday, 17 January 2019 13:01 (six years ago)

i don't know if i ever said this before, but when my wife worked for the health service, she met a baby called N-a (pronounced 'Nadasha' fyi)

― my name is leee john, for we are many (NickB), Thursday, 17 January 2019 13:07 (six years ago)

Remember, that's just in Alberta.

― peace, man, Thursday, 17 January 2019 13:10 (six years ago)

Left off from that guys tweet, but included in the list: 10 boys named Aryan.

― peace, man, Thursday, 17 January 2019 13:11 (six years ago)

I mean, could be Indian I guess. I don't know.

― peace, man, Thursday, 17 January 2019 13:20 (six years ago)

Turkish?

― suzy, Thursday, 17 January 2019 13:22 (six years ago)

spare a thought for poor doomed george-lucas

i wonder what his surname is

― Effectively Big Jim with a beard. (bizarro gazzara), Thursday, 17 January 2019 13:24 (six years ago)

every white north american born in the last 30 years is called like "braygren snort" or some shit

lol and also otm

― Effectively Big Jim with a beard. (bizarro gazzara), Thursday, 17 January 2019 13:26 (six years ago)

I posted this in 2015 in one of the Metallica threads:

http://i.imgur.com/knmcJJp.jpg

In case you were wondering how popular the black album was in the early-to-mid 90s.

― pplains, Thursday, 17 January 2019 14:40 (six years ago)

'my sister knew a girl called la-a aka ladasha' is an urban legend here that gets trotted out with any conversation about baby names

― kinder, Thursday, 17 January 2019 16:42 (six years ago)

first part is "la ah"? i think that sounds cool.

― why date Ryan Adams in the first place? (Sufjan Grafton), Thursday, 17 January 2019 17:26 (six years ago)

No, la-a. pronounced la/dash/a

― kinder, Thursday, 17 January 2019 18:20 (six years ago)

~ Swinton

― A Nugatory Excrescence (Old Lunch), Thursday, 17 January 2019 18:46 (six years ago)

Take it to rejected jbr screen names

― There's more Italy than necessary. (in orbit), Thursday, 17 January 2019 18:47 (six years ago)

one month passes...

Contender for worst newfangled name I've seen while working (I see dozens each day): C@1ge Br@xyn

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Saturday, 2 March 2019 00:14 (six years ago)

1 there is an i

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Saturday, 2 March 2019 00:15 (six years ago)

was reading about Donald Judd because of the recent thread, saw that he named his son and daughter Flavin Starbuck Judd and Rainer Yingling Judd. I love those names!

― Dan S, Saturday, 2 March 2019 01:04 (six years ago)

cage brexit

― call all destroyer, Saturday, 2 March 2019 01:15 (six years ago)

From the Alberta list upthread:

Beauxbandy!

Erickxander-Austin!

Adonis-RR?

A'Rhyiann!

Benjimen!

Charleston!

Cobby-Matthew!

Corny! (4 of them!)

Dilbert!

Jax
Jaxen
Jaxom
Jaxon
Jaxs
Jaxson
Jaxston
Jaxton
Jaxtyn
Jaxx
Jaxxon
Jaxxson
Jaxyn!

― Hans Holbein (Chinchilla Volapük), Saturday, 2 March 2019 04:12 (six years ago)

two months pass...

I appreciate how this thread really focuses on how terrible of a name Jayden and the other -ayden names are.

― Yerac, Wednesday, January 16, 2019 2:44 PM (three months ago)

Here’s some important WHL draft prep before the proceedings get underway in Red Deer. pic.twitter.com/M8KJxaIwrx

— Sunaya Sapurji (@sunayas) May 2, 2019

― mookieproof, Thursday, 2 May 2019 18:01 (six years ago)

two weeks pass...

i looked up ra1nes sh4mburger and he looks *exactly* like what you expect

this list of top tier lacrosse players names is destroying my life right now pic.twitter.com/MQE1BwJ6nY

— intrusive thot (@kittygaga_) May 16, 2019

― mookieproof, Friday, 17 May 2019 20:24 (six years ago)

this list of top tier lacrosse players names is destroying my life right now pic.twitter.com/MQE1BwJ6nY

— intrusive thot (@kittygaga_) May 16, 2019

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, 17 May 2019 20:31 (six years ago)

agh, wrong link, obvs

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, 17 May 2019 20:33 (six years ago)

Don't forget the women. https://t.co/vkVlDhEMqe pic.twitter.com/JbaANResLP

— John M. Cunningham (@jmcunning) May 17, 2019

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, 17 May 2019 20:33 (six years ago)

lol i should have known

― mookieproof, Friday, 17 May 2019 20:50 (six years ago)

one year passes...

best friend's daughter is a college freshman

her roommate is named alyssa

― mookieproof, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 00:52 (four years ago)

I've definitely heard that name before, thought it was relatively common-ish. Like, unusual, but not remarkably so.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 00:54 (four years ago)

Just went to look at popularity stats - it seems to be pretty much an '80s creation (just about existed in the database before but ~boomed~ in the 1980s).

― emil.y, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 00:57 (four years ago)

Yep, it's not that uncommon ime.

― sock solipsist (pomenitul), Tuesday, 22 September 2020 00:57 (four years ago)

oh it's not uncommon -- i grew up with them -- it's just an embarrassing gen x relic i thought we'd left behind

― mookieproof, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 01:05 (four years ago)

I like it.

― sock solipsist (pomenitul), Tuesday, 22 September 2020 01:08 (four years ago)

is there a romanian version?

― mookieproof, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 01:09 (four years ago)

Ah, I get what you mean now mookie. When I was looking at the stats thing it seemed to have remained steadily popular after its initial '80s burst.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 01:12 (four years ago)

(I also quite like it as a name, tbh.)

― emil.y, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 01:12 (four years ago)

Not to my knowledge, no, at least not as anything more than an outlier. It seems to have been mildly popular in Russia, however.

2xp

― sock solipsist (pomenitul), Tuesday, 22 September 2020 01:13 (four years ago)

alyssa was popular among my age cohort (34) and i’ve had tons of alyssas as students. some are ah-LEE-sa, some uh-LISS-uh

― methinks dababy doth bop shit too much (m bison), Tuesday, 22 September 2020 01:22 (four years ago)

my cohort was, for girls, dominated by melissa and jennifer

boys were less clear -- mostly classics like gospel writers -- but i grew up in a heavily catholic neighborhood.

at least we avoided the chasens and jadens i guess

― mookieproof, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 01:23 (four years ago)

There is a Joan in my son’s kindergarten class which at first doesn’t seem weird until you realize you’ve never heard of anyone under the age of 50 with that name.

My son has an old timey obscure name (never heard any other kid with it, only elderly people) but his is actually more common than Joan over the last decade or so.

― joygoat, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 20:02 (four years ago)

Joan for a kid definitely seems weird. The name hasn't been in the top 1,000 since 1993.

My sense is that people don't want to give their kids names that they associate with their parents' generation (which seem hopelessly uncool), but names associated with their grandparents' generation or earlier seem quaint.

Joan peaked in the 1930s (Rivers, Didion) but was a top 100 name until 1964, so maybe it still feels a little mom-ish. Or at least it hasn't quite reached the point where younger people find it charmingly old-fashioned.

That said, there are a bunch of old-fashioned names that don't fly these days, names like Mildred and Gertrude and Ralph, because they *sound* unattractive to the modern ear. Popular names these days are very liquid and mellifluous and vowel-rich.

So a name like Ella, which is top 100 in the first two decades of the 20th century, but then disappears out of the top 1,000 in the 1980s, makes a big comeback in the 21st century because it's a "granny name" but also phonemically consistent with other currently popular girls' names like Emma, Amelia, Ava, etc.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 20:42 (four years ago)

Old lady/ man names are everywhere here, and I know two little Ralphs! A few like Arthur, Roy, Vera, Ethel, Mabel, Ada - I like most of them but they seem to be the less obvious ones (vs e.g. Iris, Florence etc)
I would never have thought of Ella as a granny name here.

― kinder, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 21:28 (four years ago)

In terms of “old” names know kids named Adeline, Delilah, Victoria, Josephine, Agnes, and multiple Henrys, Harrys (two in my kids class), Olivers, Ezras, and Hazels. And I doubt I’ll ever meet a young Bertha, Gertrude, Myrtle, or Eugene.

Joan is one of the weird ones though, like it wasn’t an old or unusual name when I was a kid but I’ve never met anyone younger than me with it. It’s like one of those weird 50s names like Gary and Louie and Frank and Peggy where they’re either not retro yet or never will be.

Btw I really liked Gladys if we’d had a girl but all three adoption possibilities we had were boys which is probably for the best because my wife really did not like it.

― joygoat, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 23:03 (four years ago)

Bodine is a beautiful Dutch name that I am very partial to, particularly for girls.

I’m very partial to D’Arcy, although my partner believes it to be too old-fashioned

Pewlin is great. More children should sound like they’re characters in Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain

― beamish13, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 23:12 (four years ago)

D'Arcy has the word arse in it. Apologies to any D'Arcy's on here.

― Gerneten-flüken cake (jed_), Tuesday, 22 September 2020 23:13 (four years ago)

And I doubt I’ll ever meet a young Bertha, Gertrude, Myrtle, or Eugene.

Lots of young Latinx ppl have names like Gladys, Bertha, Mabel, Olga ime
I even know a young adult Eugene but she’s white iirc

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Tuesday, 22 September 2020 23:18 (four years ago)

Henry was my grandfather's name and it has always been one of my favorites

― Dan S, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 23:20 (four years ago)

I love it too.

― Gerneten-flüken cake (jed_), Tuesday, 22 September 2020 23:26 (four years ago)

If I saw a totally hot babe named Myrtle it would forever change my perception of that name. It only takes one.

― Andy the Grasshopper, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 23:48 (four years ago)

:)

my godparents' names were Agnes and Francis, I think those name are both really nice but don't see them as popular at the moment

― Dan S, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 23:50 (four years ago)

Henry, Harry and Oliver are totally little boy names here (although Oliver is fairly timeless, it was no1 for boys a few years running).
One of my dear (grandmother generation) relatives was Gladys. I love that it's popular somewhere!
Victoria is fairly 80s here imo, can't think it'd be particularly popular with babies now. Vicky and Karen are fairly contemporary (but Karen isn't upper class or whatever it is supposed to be in the US)

― kinder, Wednesday, 23 September 2020 06:52 (four years ago)

I know two baby Francis(es)!

― kinder, Wednesday, 23 September 2020 06:52 (four years ago)

My wife is Polish and for our daughter I tried to come up with a name that had cool counterparts in both languages (for the grandparents' sake). Lots of my favorite options were old-fashioned: Edith, Agatha, Agnes, Dagmara, Clara.

Boys' names are not as cool and varied if you're looking at something from the early 20th century. John, George, blah.

― Sam Weller, Wednesday, 23 September 2020 08:16 (four years ago)

My four grandparents were Walter, Vera, James and Mary - the only one of those which seems to be around these days is James, and it never really went away.

My five-year-old son's best friend at school is called Francis ("France for short." "Not Frank?" "No, not Frank, France.")

― 好 now 烧烤 (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 23 September 2020 08:58 (four years ago)

Boys' names are not as cool and varied if you're looking at something from the early 20th century. John, George, blah.


There's always Ringo.

― Alba, Wednesday, 23 September 2020 09:57 (four years ago)

When we told the Aussies we were naming our first-born "Beatrice", my sister-in-law yelped in the background, "Oh, God, no!"

― pplains, Wednesday, 23 September 2020 14:21 (four years ago)

ten months pass...

Maverick has been making a quiet ascent up the charts.

Popularity of male name Maverick

Year Rank
2020 49
2019 58
2018 73
2017 84
2016 139
2015 184
2014 206
2013 272
2012 357
2011 427
2010 507

― peace, man, Tuesday, 17 August 2021 12:30 (three years ago)

four months pass...

Plymouth mum receives backlash after naming son Lucifer

"If the devil was called something else, you wouldn't like that name either.

"It's about people's mindset with the name.

makes u think

― Alba, Tuesday, 11 January 2022 08:22 (three years ago)

Do prospective parents think about the linguistic origins of a name and adaptability, henceforth reinforcing languages with global dominance? Lucifer appears to have Roman origins, which could be a replay of generic 1st year college year course sequences on culture, but perhaps not since the past century ...

― youn, Tuesday, 11 January 2022 13:32 (three years ago)

seven months pass...

Ethel
Pascal

Ethel might be derived from or related to AEthelred; I think the common part means noble.

― youn, Saturday, 20 August 2022 15:52 (two years ago)

why would anyone call their child 'john'?

― dear confusion the catastrophe waitress (ledge), Saturday, 20 August 2022 15:56 (two years ago)

no shade against actual johns obv.

― dear confusion the catastrophe waitress (ledge), Saturday, 20 August 2022 16:02 (two years ago)

It’s a nice name! And unusual these days.

― Alba, Saturday, 20 August 2022 16:17 (two years ago)

150th most popular in the UK last year.

― Alba, Saturday, 20 August 2022 16:22 (two years ago)

random names I like not necessarily for anyone's baby:
Birgit
Carsten, Etienne

― youn, Saturday, 20 August 2022 16:26 (two years ago)

In the U.S., John is certainly less popular than it once was, but still in the top 30 at #27. So it hasn't fallen off as much as Brian (#288), Jeffrey (#425), or Scott (#607), all of which were top 20 names (along with John) 50 years ago.

― jaymc, Saturday, 20 August 2022 16:34 (two years ago)

At one point, I thought that Jonathan might eclipse John -- they were both ranked in the 20s about 10 years ago -- but then Jonathan started dropping while John's popularity stayed about the same.

― jaymc, Saturday, 20 August 2022 16:39 (two years ago)

John is a solid name cmon

― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 20 August 2022 18:27 (two years ago)

I'm always pleasantly surprised when I meet a parent with a baby John, Peter or David.

Most popular boy name where I am is Arlo, by miles. I know at least 6.

― kinder, Sunday, 21 August 2022 07:17 (two years ago)

Yeah, the Arlo explosion puzzles me. Nothing against it per se, and I like all the parents I know who've chosen it, but where has it come from??

― Alba, Sunday, 21 August 2022 08:24 (two years ago)

Where do people stand on alliterated names? Classic or calamity?

― Alba, Sunday, 21 August 2022 08:26 (two years ago)

Funnily enough I used to share a flat with a John Johnson.

― Buckfast At Tiffany's (Tom D.), Sunday, 21 August 2022 09:57 (two years ago)

Strong name.

― Alba, Sunday, 21 August 2022 10:05 (two years ago)

Scandi vibes

― Buckfast At Tiffany's (Tom D.), Sunday, 21 August 2022 10:58 (two years ago)

Most popular boy name where I am is Arlo, by miles. I know at least 6.

― kinder, Sunday, August 21, 2022 3:17 AM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Yeah, the Arlo explosion puzzles me. Nothing against it per se, and I like all the parents I know who've chosen it, but where has it come from??

― Alba, Sunday, August 21, 2022 4:24 AM (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

If they're young kids, the main character of The Good Dinosaur seems to make the most sense of all Arlos listed here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlo

― peace, man, Sunday, 21 August 2022 13:19 (two years ago)

at least 3 pre-date that, but good shout!

― kinder, Sunday, 21 August 2022 13:22 (two years ago)

In the U.S., Arlo is only #190 but rising, which I'd attribute mostly to a general trend toward boys' names ending in vowels and maybe specifically a phonetic resemblance to more-popular names like Leo and Eli.

― jaymc, Sunday, 21 August 2022 20:07 (two years ago)

Earlier this year we were in an NCT class with 7 other couples. Of the 8 babies born, 3 were boys and 2 of those were Arlos, doubling the number of infant Arlos I know

― crisp, Sunday, 21 August 2022 20:48 (two years ago)

I'd like to have some psycholinguistic foundations on which to build my thoughts about trends in male names that aren't tied to particular namesakes, and what they say about shifting attitudes to masculinity. I don't.

― Alba, Monday, 22 August 2022 13:09 (two years ago)

Yeah I'd thought it was the next 'Leo' too - that's #6 in England and Wales. Arlo is 27th (2020 data). There are also a few hyphenated Arlos like Arlo-Bleu and Arlo-Blu.

crisp, what were the other names?

Going by the second-hand uniform supplies, my kid's school has had some absolutely amazing names over time - e.g. Odysseas.

― kinder, Monday, 22 August 2022 15:21 (two years ago)

ok lol

― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 22 August 2022 16:12 (two years ago)

We have a River (translation of his mum’s surname I think, rather than big Stand by Me fans), and the girls are Sylvia, Violet, Mina, Zoe and Bonnie

xp to kinder

― crisp, Monday, 22 August 2022 20:22 (two years ago)

I love hearing NCT baby names. I know, it's weird. It's like a cool little snapshot and not like the top 8 most popular names.

― kinder, Monday, 22 August 2022 21:13 (two years ago)

https://www.thecut.com/2022/08/why-we-mock-baby-names.html

― sean gramophone, Monday, 22 August 2022 23:19 (two years ago)

went to my kid's 2nd grade open house last night; there are 26 kids in his class and 8 of those have names that start with an "A" and four that start with "C". And none past "R".

― joygoat, Tuesday, 23 August 2022 14:38 (two years ago)

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=gender+names

It's good to be called on first. Sorting happens more frequently by first name now.

― youn, Tuesday, 23 August 2022 15:12 (two years ago)

i think that cut article is on the right track with the "tragedeigh" names being about class, but it doesn't go into the aesthetics and politics of those names i.e. their relationship to class. it would take some research to be more convincing but i suspect that the leighs and lynns are informed by a certain idea of class as say english landed gentry routed through traditional american waspiness. they aspire to a somewhat disneyfied image of conservative traditionalism, like a thomas kinkade painting. the gaucheness of those names is both the cluelessness (rich american wasps don't name their kids these names) and the conservative aesthetic fantasy embedded in the sounds and the extra letters. i think the fantasy of naming your kid after a place i.e. "paris" is similarly crass but it comes from a different conception of wealth and success.

names are never not somewhat about class i think.

― (grim) pump track (wales) (map), Tuesday, 23 August 2022 15:30 (two years ago)

a name like "arlo" is pretty recognizably bourgeois, it's clipped to be masculine but in a brainy way. the revival of somewhat "old timey" names is about a more objectively verifiable portrait of dignity than the made-up "leigh" names imo.

― (grim) pump track (wales) (map), Tuesday, 23 August 2022 15:37 (two years ago)

i think that biblical names are generally some of the most class-neutral names out there, which is maybe part of their appeal.

― (grim) pump track (wales) (map), Tuesday, 23 August 2022 15:38 (two years ago)

two years pass...

Rodger Sherman
‪rodger.bsky.social‬

NAMES OF THE 2025 WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

Addisen
Brenlee
Braiesey
Camryn
Chaney
Cydney
Graycen
Jaden
Kayden
Kadey
Kasidi
Karlyn
Kaylynn
Keagan
Kedre
Kenleigh
Kinsey
Korbe
Kierston
Lair
Paytn
Persy
Ramsey
Remmington
Regan
Raegan
Reagan
Shylien
Stefini
Teagan

and…

FOUR (!) players named Rylee

― mookieproof, Tuesday, 27 May 2025 20:40 (two months ago)

Regan is a name in Shakespeare, King Lear’s middle daughter (also late cousin’s middle name).

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Tuesday, 27 May 2025 20:45 (two months ago)

"Lair"?

― Andy the Grasshopper, Tuesday, 27 May 2025 20:47 (two months ago)

Linda Blair was 'Regan' in The Exorcist, hence its growing popularity

― Andy the Grasshopper, Tuesday, 27 May 2025 20:49 (two months ago)

lmao i love this list.

― lil $CHUB (Spottie), Tuesday, 27 May 2025 21:21 (two months ago)

I've noticed the rise of 'Grayson' as a boys' name, interesting to see the feminized version

― Andy the Grasshopper, Tuesday, 27 May 2025 21:34 (two months ago)

Have “Madison” and “McKenzie” played themselves out or are they now too mainstream to mention by this point t?

― That Pedo Band (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 27 May 2025 21:42 (two months ago)

According to the US baby name data I've just looked at - based on Social Security records - Madison and McKenzie both peaked in popularity in the very early 2000s and both are less than 1/3 as popular now.

Grayson peaked in the mid-2010s and has fallen off a bit since then; boy Graysons still vastly outnumber girl Graysons.

― Josefa, Tuesday, 27 May 2025 22:12 (two months ago)

It's true that Regan got a post-Exorcist bump but then it slumped in the '80s before exploding in the '90s to reach its all-time peak in the early 2000s.

― Josefa, Tuesday, 27 May 2025 22:17 (two months ago)

btw with that spelling, "Graycen," girls are much closer to boys but still outnumbered

― Josefa, Tuesday, 27 May 2025 22:21 (two months ago)

If we are naming kids after Virginia counties (Grayson) I will name my first-born daughter Culpeper

― That Pedo Band (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 27 May 2025 22:29 (two months ago)

My favorite oldest son will be Fauquier

― That Pedo Band (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 27 May 2025 22:29 (two months ago)

i am acquainted with a grayson, born in the late '90s, who was named after dick grayson aka robin

― mookieproof, Tuesday, 27 May 2025 22:36 (two months ago)

if this list was headed with 'New Nissan Models for 2026' I probably wouldn't have blinked twice

― Andy the Grasshopper, Tuesday, 27 May 2025 22:36 (two months ago)

Sorry but... Lair?

― DLC Soundsystem (dog latin), Tuesday, 27 May 2025 23:58 (two months ago)

Lair Beautae, pronounced Lair Boo-TAY

― Josefa, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 00:09 (two months ago)

kedre? as in mosquiter?

― five six seven, eight nine ten, begin (map), Wednesday, 28 May 2025 00:29 (two months ago)

In the 1950s and 1960s it was all conventional names for both boys (Michael, Robert, David, John, Richard, James, Daniel, Mark, William, Thomas) and for girls (Deborah, Barbara, Mary, Susan, Karen, Patricia, Linda)

In the 1970s and 1980s, “J” names became popular - Jason, Jennifer, Jeffrey, Joshua, Justin, Jessica, Jeremy, Jonathan, while Michael and Christopher remained the two most popular boys’ names

The 1990s saw the rise of Jacob, Andrew, Nicholas and Brandon, while the most popular boys’ names still remained Michael and Christopher. And for girls Ashley, Emily, Sarah and Samantha dominated

In the 2000s and 2010s there seemed to be a minor fashion for giving girls names the were androgynous or that could be boys’ names or even surnames - Madison, Taylor, Morgan, Brooke, Jordan, Avery, Shelby, Kennedy, Payton, Skylar, Kendall, etc, and also a fashion for naming boys after surnames

Somewhere between the 60s and 90s Irish names became really popular - Kiernan, Brigid, Breanna, Megan, Kathleen, Conor, Aidan, Finn, Ronan, Fiona, Ciara, Colleen, Molly, Erin, Maureen, Eileen, Conan, Deidre, Ryan - as well as Scottish names - Mackenzie, Lachlan, Alasdair, Angus, Ian, Maisie, Gordon, Glen, Logan, Kyle, Skye

― Dan S, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 00:31 (two months ago)

Another big story is that Italian names have become very popular for US girls in this century - Sophia/Sofia, Isabella, Mia, Gianna, etc.

― Josefa, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 00:43 (two months ago)

xxp i thought these were just utah suburban girl names but i gather it's all red states?

anyway this naming trend horrifies me, the sounds and the spellings, but i can't stop thinking about it, combining syllables and getting 'braeleegan' or 'kynleighryn' etc. as i'm trying to fall asleep. like a cursed image i keep thinking about. a person who would name their child this is an alien to me. hardcore tribal suburbanite stuff. some day we'll have a gop president named Paytn.

― five six seven, eight nine ten, begin (map), Wednesday, 28 May 2025 00:44 (two months ago)

yes, Josefa, a definite trend!

― Dan S, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 00:45 (two months ago)

a lot of the names mookieproof posted above are variant spellings of Irish or Scottish names, aren't they?

my friends have a three-year old named Remington

― Dan S, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 00:55 (two months ago)

The interesting things about the top baby names in any given year is some of them are kind of trailing the culture at large but also some of them are anticipating it

― Dan S, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 01:10 (two months ago)

Deborah is interesting in that it traces back to the Old Testament but it wasn't particularly popular until the mid-1940s. Deborah Harry (b. 1945) was one of this wave.

― Josefa, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 01:29 (two months ago)

Dan S no one in the US is naming their kid Gordon. Don’t know about the rest of the Anglosphere.

― That Pedo Band (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 28 May 2025 02:15 (two months ago)

holding myself back from posting itt 😜

― jaymc, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 02:18 (two months ago)

rip all the canadian hockey players named gordie

not to mention the worst album cover of all time

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 02:29 (two months ago)

somebody needs to do a linguistic analysis of these over the years, the preponderance of "K" and "R" here is off the charts

― sleeve, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 03:26 (two months ago)

(I knew exactly what this bump was about, that list says a lot about America in 2025 imho)

― sleeve, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 03:26 (two months ago)

people have done analyses like that. laura wattenberg's namerology site has a tool where you can chart the popularity of names beginning, ending, or containing certain strings of letters:
https://namerology.com/baby-name-grapher/

― jaymc, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 03:52 (two months ago)

there's also some interesting charts in that vein this recent wapo article that quotes wattenberg: https://archive.ph/i2Wjr

she has basically been my go-to expert about baby names for almost 20 years.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 03:54 (two months ago)

(I knew exactly what this bump was about, that list says a lot about America in 2025 imho)

― sleeve, Tuesday, May 27, 2025 11:26 PM (twenty-nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

meaning what?

― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 03:56 (two months ago)

I would think it says more about America in 2004, if those are the names of college athletes

― jaymc, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 03:58 (two months ago)

Here's something interesting: The state-level data came out last week, and all of the state #1s were in the top 10 nationally -- with one exception. Montana's #1 girls' name is Lainey, which is only #38 nationally (but on a fast-moving trajectory). It's also in the top 5 for Kentucky, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia.

Some other outliers (top 5 in a state, below #30 nationally):

-Brooks (M): #4 in North Dakota, #67 U.S.
-Ezekiel (M): #3 in New Mexico, #54 U.S.
-Ivy (F): #5 in North Dakota, #36 U.S.
-Joseph (M): #4 in New Jersey, #5 in New York, #32 U.S.
-Kaia (F): #3 in Hawaii, #180 U.S.
-Maverick (M): #3 in West Virginia, #36 U.S.
-Waylon (M): #2 in West Virginia, #3 in Kentucky, #65 U.S.
-Willow (F): #4 in Kentucky and West Virginia, #41 U.S.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 04:36 (two months ago)

there is nothing worse than 'maverick' and its variants

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 04:38 (two months ago)

What about the 11 girls last year who were named Knourish?

― jaymc, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 04:41 (two months ago)

not as bad! i mean, i don't get it, but at least they're not being raised as shitheads from birth

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 05:48 (two months ago)

Lol, guilty, my daugther's name (born 2022) starts with a K. We wanted an "international" name, one that was not necessarily attached to a place, so it's pretty low in any ranking.

― Naledi, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 06:27 (two months ago)

(It's not Knourish)

― Naledi, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 06:32 (two months ago)

rip all the canadian hockey players named gordie

not to mention the worst album cover of all time


I know it’s the quintessential male Canadian name

― That Pedo Band (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 28 May 2025 13:20 (two months ago)

Looking back, if we had just named our kids David, Michael or Jennifer or Michelle istg they would be the only kids in their county with those names.

I don't mind NOT having an unusual name but there's always someone who meets our kid and says "oh i know a [x,y,z]"

― imperial frfr (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 28 May 2025 17:24 (two months ago)

you named your kid xyzzzz___?

― also like Tayler swift as she can relate to my cat (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 28 May 2025 17:28 (two months ago)

Yes i did, due to his propensity for spamming twitter links with no supplemental commentary nor critical thinking.

― imperial frfr (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 28 May 2025 17:32 (two months ago)

pretty advanced stuff for a baby

― also like Tayler swift as she can relate to my cat (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 28 May 2025 17:34 (two months ago)

(I knew exactly what this bump was about, that list says a lot about America in 2025 imho)

― sleeve, Tuesday, May 27, 2025 11:26 PM (twenty-nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

meaning what?

― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Tuesday, May 27, 2025 8:56 PM (yesterday)

to me, this list looks like a monoculture pretending to be diverse (and sure jaymc is right, this is more like the Bush-era zeitgeist re: names, but I think the analogy holds true today)

― sleeve, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 17:42 (two months ago)

somebody needs to do a linguistic analysis of these over the years, the preponderance of "K" and "R" here is off the charts
I have synaesthesia, and K and R (and L and G) are similar in colour to me - various shades of green

― kinder, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 17:51 (two months ago)

and W! lots of green in the alphabet

― kinder, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 17:51 (two months ago)

Laura Wattenberg, in jaymc’s second link, makes the point that group-think among parents regarding how names should end or how they should sound has led to the monocultural-type feel of that list of softball players.

― Josefa, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 18:07 (two months ago)

Looking back, if we had just named our kids David, Michael or Jennifer or Michelle istg they would be the only kids in their county with those names.

I don't mind NOT having an unusual name but there's always someone who meets our kid and says "oh i know a [x,y,z]"

― imperial frfr (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, May 28, 2025 12:24 PM (thirty-three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

And yet the trendy names today represent a smaller proportion of all given names than the trendy names when we were kids.

The 2024 #1s were Liam, representing 1.2% of boys, and Olivia, representing 0.8% of girls.

In 1974, by contrast, the #1s were Michael (4.14%) and Jennifer (4.03%).

So if you have a kid with a popular name, the odds that someone else in their class will have the same name is lower than it once was.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 18:11 (two months ago)

*She didn’t reference that list specifically, but that’s the sort of effect she’s talking about

― Josefa, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 18:11 (two months ago)

I do think it's funny how low some of the classic names that everyone knows have sunk in recent years. I used to do a tweet every year about the once-popular names that have departed the top 1,000 entirely. For instance, Gary was a top 20 name for the entirety of the 1940s and '50s, and in 2024 it was tied at #1,128 with Brecken, Cullen, Kenan, Mikael, and Zephyr.

Jennifer (#1 from 1970-84) is still in the top 1,000 -- it's #547 -- but the same number of girls last year were named Amoura.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 18:23 (two months ago)

Laura Wattenberg says there were 612 babies named Ann, Joan, or Susan last year COMBINED, and 613 named Calliope.

― Josefa, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 18:27 (two months ago)

Yeah, I found that amusing as well.

On the other hand, James and William have the exact same rankings (#5 and #10) as they did in 1974. And Elizabeth has remained in the top 30 for more than 100 years.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 18:28 (two months ago)

This is one for the uncool conservative beliefs but that list of athlete names and their cool spellings gives me the willies (or Willyz, now I guess).

― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Wednesday, 28 May 2025 18:36 (two months ago)

Some of the top California boy names this year are not terrible. Mateo is a great name and is becoming very popular (maybe too popular). Santiago, Sebastian and Julian are interesting and don’t seem overused yet

Regarding the two currently most popular names for boys in California and in the the country as a whole over the last few years - I think Noah is a name that just works with many last names because it is simple and ends with a vowel sound. It may not be imaginative but I can see its popularity. Liam maybe also goes well with many last names.

― Dan S, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 23:04 (two months ago)

In my own French context, I had a mild shock discovering that my sister's name (Nathalie) is now exceedingly rare: now given to 20 girls per year, down from a peak of 30K in the mid 60s. There are still hundred thousands of them, they're just old. My own name falls in this category as well actually: peaked in the 80s, practically not given anymore.

― Naledi, Thursday, 29 May 2025 08:58 (two months ago)

Grayson peaked in the mid-2010s and has fallen off a bit since then; boy Graysons still vastly outnumber girl Graysons.

https://i.discogs.com/htVAi9tH3vB5r2KvI1g7c_vkmH1TpQZcEUDgib6Qog8/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTY2OTU4/MjAtMTcxNzUxODk5/Ny0xNjcyLmpwZWc.jpeg

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Thursday, 29 May 2025 09:34 (two months ago)

Waiting for these people in America to discover Grayson Perry.

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Thursday, 29 May 2025 09:51 (two months ago)

Much better if they discovered Larry Grayson tbh.

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Thursday, 29 May 2025 09:54 (two months ago)

unlikely in 2025, that door has been shut for a long time

― also like Tayler swift as she can relate to my cat (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 29 May 2025 10:13 (two months ago)

So if you have a kid with a popular name, the odds that someone else in their class will have the same name is lower than it once was.

Other than Mohammed or variants thereof. Or are the Muslim lads known by a second/middle name, and Mohammed is more of a title? I'm not sure how it works, culturally.

― submission drift (Matt #2), Thursday, 29 May 2025 12:03 (two months ago)

Tons of guys shorten to Mo (obvs) or they might have a family nickname/alt which would be another first name like Ali. So you’d be mates with Ali Surname but his government name on ID/records would be Mohammed Surname.

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Thursday, 29 May 2025 12:11 (two months ago)

I was referring to the U.S. context where the #1 name is given to an increasingly smaller percentage of children each year. I don't know if that is true in the U.K.

― jaymc, Thursday, 29 May 2025 12:30 (two months ago)

FYI I was answering Matt’s question.

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Thursday, 29 May 2025 12:38 (two months ago)

I know, I was replying to Matt.

― jaymc, Thursday, 29 May 2025 12:41 (two months ago)

two weeks pass...

people have done analyses like that. laura wattenberg's namerology site has a tool where you can chart the popularity of names beginning, ending, or containing certain strings of letters:
https://namerology.com/baby-name-grapher🕸/


In middle-class Britain, young boys seem to be exclusively called Theo, Leo or Arlo. Not sure what the preference for names ending in O says about attitudes to masculinity but there's something there.

― Alba, Sunday, 15 June 2025 10:35 (one month ago)

For both Arlo and Theo, there are at least 2 at school and I know 2 people that named their kids that. I don't actually know any very young Leos.
Loads of Alices too.

― kinder, Sunday, 15 June 2025 14:51 (one month ago)

Feel like the O endings might be more about the popularity of vowel endings generally than the masculine O ending specifically.

Wattenberg has written about boys' names ending in A, which used to be pretty much restricted to Joshua, but there are now more of them: https://namerology.com/2021/04/13/the-surprising-story-of-boys-ending-in-a/

― jaymc, Sunday, 15 June 2025 14:58 (one month ago)

When we named our second kid Theo I had never even met a Theo, let alone a child called Theo. Aged 10 now, there are at least two other Theos at school.

― can't complain, mustn't grumble, melancholy apple c (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Sunday, 15 June 2025 16:02 (one month ago)

Haha we have a toddler named Theodore in my family. We call him Theo but I heard his other relatives call him Teddy so I guess he has that choice ahead of him.

― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Sunday, 15 June 2025 16:05 (one month ago)

Which is a better name, Theopold or Leodore?

― emil.y, Sunday, 15 June 2025 17:03 (one month ago)

Theopold is the name of the mayor in Zootopia (renamed Zootropolis in Britain, where the thought of utopia is anathema).

― Alba, Sunday, 15 June 2025 17:53 (one month ago)

Theotard

― LocalGarda, Sunday, 15 June 2025 17:58 (one month ago)

Don’t give Richard Dawkins ideas.

― Lady Sovereign (Citizen) (milo z), Sunday, 15 June 2025 18:00 (one month ago)

Sorry, I meant Leodore was the mayor's name, not Theopold!

― Alba, Sunday, 15 June 2025 18:02 (one month ago)

Zootopia (renamed Zootropolis in Britain, where the thought of utopia is anathema)

Wait, is this true? I've never heard it being called Zootropolis.

― emil.y, Sunday, 15 June 2025 18:02 (one month ago)

It's true!

― Alba, Sunday, 15 June 2025 18:07 (one month ago)

Pretty sure it was called that when I watched it with my kids xp

― groovypanda, Sunday, 15 June 2025 18:08 (one month ago)

I think about baby names a lot, despite having no kids or any parent-destiny. Boys would be named Honoré and Leslie. Girls would be named Martha and Jane. Joke names include Cinderella (boy) and Spaghetti West (girl)

― God only knows what I'd be without me (flamboyant goon tie included), Sunday, 15 June 2025 18:08 (one month ago)

A good friend of mine threatened for years to name her first born Jordache and I'm bummed that she didn't follow through

― God only knows what I'd be without me (flamboyant goon tie included), Sunday, 15 June 2025 18:09 (one month ago)

The -a/-ah boy names thing makes me think of Micah Loewinger from "On the Media," who for years I thought was called Michael Owinger

― budo jeru, Monday, 16 June 2025 03:35 (one month ago)

most of the -en names are bad but i particularly cannot accept that of relief pitcher chasen shreve

― mookieproof, Monday, 16 June 2025 03:39 (one month ago)

I keep seeing - and when I say "I keep seeing" I mean "I have seen this twice" - the name Jaxson, with an X, which is or was apparently very popular in the US, but not so much in the UK. Jackson by itself is an odd first name in the UK but the X tips it over the edge into silliness.

Which leads me to this Reddit thread which contains the line "I loved Nixon, Braxton, Maddox, Parker but husband turned them all down".

Orion was a cool film studio. It's not a cool name for a person.

― Ashley Pomeroy, Monday, 16 June 2025 21:00 (one month ago)

In middle-class Britain, young boys seem to be exclusively called Theo, Leo or Arlo.


Can add Otto to this list.

― Alba, Monday, 16 June 2025 21:27 (one month ago)

Also Milo. Although you’ll come a cropper wherever there are dogs off lead, because most of these names are very popular with cockapoo owners.

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Monday, 16 June 2025 21:36 (one month ago)

There is a kid called Jaxon at my son's school, I really do not want to judge the parents but come on now. Even "Jackson" is clearly a surname.

― can't complain, mustn't grumble, melancholy apple c (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 16 June 2025 22:00 (one month ago)

meanwhile pollock is a first name

― gestures broadly at...everything (voodoo chili), Monday, 16 June 2025 22:04 (one month ago)

Maybe they were fans of Lee “Scratch” Perry’s alter ego Pipecock Jaxon? But calling the kid “Pipecock” was too far?

― The "W" and Odie Trail (Boring, Maryland), Monday, 16 June 2025 22:15 (one month ago)

Jaxon was a top 50 name for nearly a decade recently! Peaked at #39 in 2018 and now it's on the decline (#96 last year).

Seems equivalent in popularity to something like Dustin, which remained in the 40s for the entire 1980s, getting no higher than #41, though Jaxon had a quicker rise and fall.

― jaymc, Monday, 16 June 2025 22:26 (one month ago)

Can add Otto to this list.

Nah, don't believe that.

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 06:41 (one month ago)

Pretty sure I have heard some playground Rollos too. I think YOLO! would also make a fine first name.

― Maggy Scraggle, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 06:58 (one month ago)

Ringo surely due a comeback too.

― Maggy Scraggle, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 07:01 (one month ago)

Mungo needs to happen.

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 07:38 (one month ago)

Otto was in our boys’ shortlist 20 years ago! Along with Dashiel, Bing etc. I was implacably opposed. Just conjures up images of Gert Fröbe in some kind of uniform.

― Michael Jones, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 07:51 (one month ago)

As the saying goes: "Boys' names are hard"

― Alba, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 07:55 (one month ago)

Apologies to any Ottos out there in ILXland. I’m sure you are / will be just fine.

― Michael Jones, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 08:04 (one month ago)

Otto not quite up there with the others, I confess.

https://i.imgur.com/qr4x7Os.png

Theodores not included in the Theos – if you add them together they'd be getting close to Muhammad and its variants as the most popular name.

― Alba, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 08:24 (one month ago)

Alas, the ONS data doesn't let you filter to white middle-class Londoners.

― Alba, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 08:25 (one month ago)

Oh, I could have just linked to direct url

https://names.darkgreener.com/#.*o$

― Alba, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 08:26 (one month ago)

After Muhammad, you have to go all the way down to 15th and Jude before you get to another boy's name ending in a hard consonant sound.


Rank    Name            Count
1	Muhammad	4661
2	Noah	        4382
3	Oliver	        3556
4	George	        3494
5	Leo	        3416
6	Arthur	        3387
7	Luca	        3195
8	Theodore	2666
9	Oscar	        2632
10	Henry	        2490
11	Theo	        2489
12	Freddie	        2481
13	Archie	        2400
14	Arlo	        2253
15	Jude		2177

― Alba, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 08:32 (one month ago)

I can imagine Roscoe getting a bump among those too young to remember the Dukes of Hazzard.

Florian was on my boys shortlist way back when, for Kraftwerk related reasons. Look forward to its imminent rise in popularity on Merseyside.

― Maggy Scraggle, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 08:39 (one month ago)

What about the names ending in R?

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 08:45 (one month ago)

I don't think of that as a hard consonant sound

― Alba, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 09:02 (one month ago)

1914 top 10:

1. JOHN
2. WILLIAM
3. GEORGE
4. THOMAS
5. JAMES
6. ARTHUR
7. FREDERICK
8. ALBERT
9. CHARLES
10. ROBERT
11. EDWARD
12. JOSEPH
13. ERNEST
14. ALFRED
1FRANK
HENRY

― Alba, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 09:05 (one month ago)

oops, hit return before adding final two rank numbers properly.

― Alba, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 09:05 (one month ago)

The trend for Victorian and Edwardian names seems to have declined among the aforementioned white middle class Londoners.

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 09:14 (one month ago)

Edward has become Teddy

― Alba, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 09:32 (one month ago)

Was just thinking the other day about why don't they name kids Shecky anymore?

― peace, man, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 09:33 (one month ago)

In most of the world (and half of the UK) we use the rhotic R when someone’s name ends in that letter.

Thinking of middle-class or aspirational London friends who are definitely naming their kids ‘old’ names such as Frank, Iris and (two different families) Penelope.

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 09:42 (one month ago)

have any non-english-speaking countries had an analogous boom in neologistic (compound, barbaric spellings etc) names in the late 20th/early 20th cent.? or is it just america & those of us living downstream?

i believe that in france one actually has some kind of legal obligation to stick to good ol proper french names (is this true? oughta google it i suppose) but what about everybody else?

― unknown or illegal user (doo rag), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 10:17 (one month ago)

Penelope is good as a posh name. And it tracks that it's coming back now as it was at its height in the 1940s and 50s, so a while after all those granny names that had a resurgence in the 2000s.

― Alba, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 10:20 (one month ago)

(xp) I don't know but an unconscionably large proportion footballers in Europe seem to be called Kevin.

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 10:27 (one month ago)

What are the granny names? Bertha Ethel Martha?

― God only knows what I'd be without me (flamboyant goon tie included), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 10:30 (one month ago)

Florence, Ivy, Lily rather than Edna, Bertha, Ethel. It's much more a phenomenon in the UK with boy's names though. Very classy based though (what isn't in the UK?)

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 10:39 (one month ago)

... class based that is.

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 10:39 (one month ago)

Oh lol I reread “classy based” over and over both trying to parse what seemed like new slang and also a bizarre claim that anything about UK was classy

― God only knows what I'd be without me (flamboyant goon tie included), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 11:09 (one month ago)

New slang from me is highly unlikely!

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 11:17 (one month ago)

at a guess I'd say around 90% of people in the UK are non-rhotic, it's just the west country, Scotland and N Ireland that are generally rhotic, and even there it's declining.

― can't complain, mustn't grumble, melancholy apple c (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 11:27 (one month ago)

... don't forget Burrrrnley and Blackburrrrn.

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 11:29 (one month ago)

And Naaaarich

― Tim, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 11:55 (one month ago)

It’s probably half the UK by surface area though?

― Tim, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 12:03 (one month ago)

I'd say the top male names in France right now rather show a strong tendency towards old and biblical names, with a few anglo-saxon imports, and especially Celtic (Arthur, Maël, Malo, Nolan, Ayden). In my generation, the eighties, nobody below age 60 was named Louis, Jules, or Léon (#16). Mohamed is 17# btw.

1. Gabriel
2. Raphaël
3. Léo
4. Louis
5. Maël
6. Noah
7. Jules
8. Adam
9. Arthur
10. Isaac
11. Liam
12. Sacha
13. Éden
14. Lucas
15. Gabin

Equivalent ranking for girls. You can see the -A thing is both at the end and at the beginning. Louise, Emma, Rose, and Agathe are super old names. I had never heard of Ambre as a name until recently but it boomed in the 00s already, I assume as an equivalent to Amber, although the basis is Greek.

1. Louise
2. Ambre
3. Alba
4. Jade
5. Emma
6. Rose
7. Alma
8. Alice
9. Romy
10. Anna
11. Éva
12. Lina
13. Mia
14. Inaya
15. Agathe

Not so many, but a few names can be both sex (without changing the spelling): Lou, Nour, Alix (very nice for a girl), Charlie, Sacha, Éden.

― Naledi, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 12:03 (one month ago)

And to answer doo rag more directly: neologism yes, misspelling how dare you. I've actually rather heard of Germany having a working list of acceptable names but cannot imagine this working in practice. Where I live, the law can prevent you from giving an insulting name to your child, but otherwise you are free. And I just checked, same in France since 1993.

― Naledi, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 12:21 (one month ago)

After checking, actually not so different Germany:
http://www.firstnamesgermany.com/the-german-law-on-first-names/#:~:text=Whether%20a%20name%20is%20acceptable,be%20accepted%20without%20any%20problems.

― Naledi, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 12:24 (one month ago)

what about compound names? Jean-Luc, Pierre-Auguste, etc? do they sound as ridiculous and posh in French as they do in English? are they names that were once considered old grampa names but are now coming back in trendy middle class circles?

― budo jeru, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 12:27 (one month ago)

i once knew a British guy christened Peter who went by Pete. one night we got to talking and i asked why he'd adopted the shortened form. he explained to me that his hand had been forced on account of pronouncing the "t" in Peter would make him sound too posh, but omitting it would mean calling himself "pee-er," which definitely wouldn't work either. i've always wondered whether this was an idiosyncrasy of his, or whether it's something that plagues non-posh Peters across the UK

― budo jeru, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 12:31 (one month ago)

I'd say, as a sweeping generalisation, that people are kind of *expected* to shorten their names in the UK. In my experience, anyone who insists on the full version is seen as uptight.

― I would prefer not to. (Chinaski), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 12:39 (one month ago)

Compound names must be in sharp decline, since the tendency is to go for short. Jean-Luc sounds ridiculous. Pierre-Auguste sounds posh. Some are more common: Jean-Baptiste, Pierre-Louis, Marie-Lou or Anne-Sophie for example, or I have a friend named Marie-Laure. There was a Jean-Marie in our previous neighborhood, also common here, but yeah, my anglophone partner can never forget that name.

― Naledi, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 12:45 (one month ago)

I'm James but I have never been Jim (which is my uncle's name) or Jamie (which always sounded kind of babyish) and people at uni knew me from an unrelated nickname, so uptight it is.

― can't complain, mustn't grumble, melancholy apple c (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 12:45 (one month ago)

East-Anglia is non-rhotic BTW, this is the big difference with West Country.

― can't complain, mustn't grumble, melancholy apple c (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 12:47 (one month ago)

Hahaha - that wasn't an accusation! Is there any truth in what I said, or am I talking bowlocks as usual?

I've got a friend who's very much an Andrew and was there when he met a bunch of new people. Someone tried a hesitant Andy and goddamn it was uncomfortable. Could just be me.

― I would prefer not to. (Chinaski), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 12:49 (one month ago)

I'm James but I have never been Jim (which is my uncle's name) or Jamie (which always sounded kind of babyish) and people at uni knew me from an unrelated nickname, so uptight it is.

Jimbo it is then.

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 12:53 (one month ago)

I absolutely hated and refused to watch both Jimbo & The Jetset and James The Cat, Jamie and his magic torch was fine.

― can't complain, mustn't grumble, melancholy apple c (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 13:10 (one month ago)

What about Jamesie Cotter in "Rab C. Nesbitt"?

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 13:13 (one month ago)

The old women of my childhood were Ida Belle & Lula Mae (sisters...and Southerners), Betty, Flora, Cora, a couple of Virginias. I think most of those names have come and gone again already in popularity.

― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 13:21 (one month ago)

My great-great-grandmother's sister who stayed in England was named Alvinia, apparently. I don't think we need to bring that one back.

― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 13:23 (one month ago)

My grandmothers were Lucille and Bernice. Those names are not coming back either (although Lucille went by Lucy, which is popular). Great grannies were Edna, Lena, Mae, and Anna Elvira.

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 13:32 (one month ago)

My grandad's name, transliterated from Polish, was Lazer Wolf, like a 2010s indie band. Pretty cool name.

We gave my daughter "Wolf" as a middle name as a tribute, but we belatedly realised that wolves are always the bad guys in children's books, and she's not too happy about that

― Chuck_Tatum, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 13:36 (one month ago)

Flora very much seems like a name white middle class Londoners would give their daughters.

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 13:44 (one month ago)

Too margarine-y

― Chuck_Tatum, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 13:45 (one month ago)

Yes, forgot that, I had MacDonald more in mind

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 13:47 (one month ago)

If your daughter’s name is Flora, you’ve never tasted margarine.

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 13:53 (one month ago)

Flora seems posh Scottish to me, there was a Flora on Bake Off recently who was basically all the posh kids at my school/uni rolled into one

(I am so not posh that my phone autocorrected it to pish)

― ailsa, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 14:00 (one month ago)

I think Vitalite is a nice name for a girl.

― Alba, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 14:00 (one month ago)

Aquanetta or bust

― Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 15:07 (one month ago)

I had an Aunt Vinnie, short for Lavinia. Great name imo

― God only knows what I'd be without me (flamboyant goon tie included), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 15:23 (one month ago)

I was thinking about Ursula. And it’s fortunate that there aren’t a lot of fantasy fans with kids called Neil

― Chuck_Tatum, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 15:37 (one month ago)

ursula was my gramma’s name ❤️

― petey, pablo & mary (m bison), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 16:19 (one month ago)

Flora in a US context would be short for Florence, Idk if that is a UK thing or not.

― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 16:27 (one month ago)

Is Gary short for Fred over there?

― LocalGarda, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 16:33 (one month ago)

(xp) two different names

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 16:43 (one month ago)

a friend of mine has a girl named Elv1na (googleproofing!) - v unusual.

I also know people with Mabel and Ethel, although they would stick out at our school.

one of my favourite names at my kids' school was L0v3day (again googleproofing even though I've probably already mentioned it on this thread)

― kinder, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 18:05 (one month ago)

something-Mae or May/Mae as middle name seems pretty popular where I am (although middle classes might now dismiss it as common)

I always think of It's gonna bae mae

― kinder, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 18:08 (one month ago)

Fannie Mae is a nice name for a boy.

― Alba, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 18:13 (one month ago)

My dad’s grandmother was known as Mamie.

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 18:22 (one month ago)

"My grandad's name, transliterated from Polish, was Lazer Wolf, like a 2010s indie band. Pretty cool name."

It's also a horse:
https://www.skysports.com/racing/form-profiles/horse/1241876/lazer-wolf-ire

Which brings me to this website, which lets you check to see whether a certain horse name is available:
https://www.britishhorseracing.com/regulation/ownership/horse-name-availability/

Curiously "david beckham" is available. And so is "Jodie Foster". Presumably horse names are not like domain names. But imagine if you could breed thousands upon thousands of horses and give them all kinds of names, then sell the names to professional horse owners. You could pretend to sell the actual horse to the horse owner, but secretly have it destroyed. That way you could transfer the name to a different horse, by pretending that it's the same horse. Given the huge sums of money involved I'm surprised that someone hasn't come up with that idea.

― Ashley Pomeroy, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 18:49 (one month ago)

two references to the name lazer wolf without one mention of fiddler on the roof, what is this world coming to?

― gestures broadly at...everything (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 19:40 (one month ago)

For people you know really well, new names can be sometimes hard to accept.

My older brother was always known in our family as Mickey. Now everyone knows him as Michael/Mike. I just can’t call him that, it feels like I’m distancing myself from him, so now as a compromise I just call him Mick.

My best friend Robert from college, who I’ve known for 40 years, and who I’ve always known as Bob, got into a relationship with someone else named Bob, so now he goes by Robert. I can’t get used to it

I think people who you know that well maybe are on some level pleased that you call them by their childhood name. I’m always taken aback but when family/friends call me Danny, but I like it

― Dan S, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 00:14 (one month ago)

Mungo needs to happen.

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Tuesday, June 17, 2025

I thought Mungo was a nickname of some sort like Shuggie is a nickname for Hugh, but apparently it’s a proper Scottish name

I loved both of Douglas Stuart’s books, “Shuggie Bain” and “Young Mungo”

― Dan S, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 00:15 (one month ago)

My father was called Rob all of my life, and my brother-in-law's brother, who I'm very fond of, goes by Robb

Two of my sisters have very odd but nice names - Diona and Maurya, those names deserve to become more popular

― Dan S, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 00:29 (one month ago)

My best friend Robert from college, who I’ve known for 40 years, and who I’ve always known as Bob, got into a relationship with someone else named Bob, so now he goes by Robert. I can’t get used to it

Can't believe they've missed the opportunity to be Bob and Bob! The Two Bobs. The Bobs, etc.

― if you want my advice get it all above board (Matt #2), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 00:38 (one month ago)

Bob and Bob are what I call them! Among those of us who are old-time friends it's the Bobs. I'm not sure how they feel about it though

― Dan S, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 00:40 (one month ago)

Roberto et Robért

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 00:48 (one month ago)

It's funny, one of my Bobs calls the other Roberto

My goddaughter is named Julia (I think after Julia Child), and it seems like a name that is lower-level in popularity but is nice and is still in the conversation. Her parents were considering naming her Charlotte, which has become much more popular, but I'm glad they decided on Julia

― Dan S, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 00:59 (one month ago)

Shecky is a great name. Is it short for something?

― m0stly clean (Slowsquatch), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 01:01 (one month ago)

reshecca

― petey, pablo & mary (m bison), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 01:35 (one month ago)

julia is a nice name

― five six seven, eight nine ten, begin (map), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 01:46 (one month ago)

Adjust to your people’s chosen names! It’s easy

My first name is Michael and nothing makes me want to murder than when people call me “Mike”, that word is not welcome in my eardrums

― God only knows what I'd be without me (flamboyant goon tie included), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 01:56 (one month ago)

i believe that in france one actually has some kind of legal obligation to stick to good ol proper french names (is this true? oughta google it i suppose) but what about everybody else?

I've actually rather heard of Germany having a working list of acceptable names but cannot imagine this working in practice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_Naming_Committee

― Hans Holbein (Chinchilla Volapük), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 04:58 (one month ago)

I thought Mungo was a nickname of some sort like Shuggie is a nickname for Hugh, but apparently it’s a proper Scottish name

Patron saint of Glasgow!

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 06:48 (one month ago)

xpost Lol, I knew a gay couple whose names where Karim and Karim. We used to call them Tall Karim and Short Karim.

To Volapük: Amazing. Love the kind of problems they have in Iceland :D

"Blær and her mother challenged the committee's decision in court, arguing that Blær had been used by Nobel Prize–winning Icelandic author Halldór Laxness as the name of a female character in his 1957 novel The Fish Can Sing. One other woman in Iceland was already registered at the time with the name Blær, and two declensions—one masculine and one feminine—exist for the name.

On 31 January 2013, the Reykjavík district court ruled in the family's favour and overruled the naming committee, finding that Blær could in fact be both a man's and a woman's name and rejecting government claims that it was necessary to deny her request in order to protect the Icelandic language. After the court's decision, Iceland's interior minister confirmed that the government would accept the ruling and would not appeal the case to the country's Supreme Court."

― Naledi, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 06:49 (one month ago)

East-Anglia is non-rhotic BTW, this is the big difference with West Country.


Hell fire, I should learn to listen better or to shut up. Probably both.

― Tim, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 08:01 (one month ago)

I had relatives who were a married couple called Chris & Chris

― kinder, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 17:44 (one month ago)

(-tine and -topher)

― kinder, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 17:44 (one month ago)

reshecca

― petey, pablo & mary (m bison), Wednesday, June 18, 2025 1:35 AM

lols at work

― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 17:50 (one month ago)

i believe that in france one actually has some kind of legal obligation to stick to good ol proper french names (is this true? oughta google it i suppose) but what about everybody else?

this was true until 1993. now you can name your kid whatever you like, except it still needs to be legally approved and can be rejected if it is determined to be contrary to the interests of the child. examples of rejected names include Babar and Nutella.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 19:53 (one month ago)

I had relatives who were a married couple called Chris & Chris

just attended a wedding where the groom's parents were named Marty and Marti.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 19:58 (one month ago)

if Nutella wasn't a tasty hazelnut spread, I think that would be a great name for a baby girl

― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 20:01 (one month ago)

When she was very young, my sister had an imaginary friend, a girl called Semolina.

― can't complain, mustn't grumble, melancholy apple c (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 20:30 (one month ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QklXon9lp70

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 20:42 (one month ago)

Semolina Jolie and Nutella Lawson

― budo jeru, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 21:01 (one month ago)

newt ella for the gop jazz lovers

― petey, pablo & mary (m bison), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 21:03 (one month ago)

semolina with nutella - nuevo cuisine entry

― five six seven, eight nine ten, begin (map), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 21:11 (one month ago)

Maybe of limited interest, but the list of baby names for Quebec is released every year: https://www.retraitequebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/services-en-ligne-outils/banque-de-prenoms/Pages/recherche_par_popularite.aspx?AnRefBp=2024&NbPre=100

Most of these are fine I guess but I am kind of surprised to see names like Jayden, Axel and Maverick in the top 50.

― silverfish, Thursday, 19 June 2025 13:58 (one month ago)

Interesting to see Charlie (#6) so close behind Charlotte (#4) on Quebec's list of girls' names.

Charlotte is also #4 in the U.S., but Charlie is #140. In England and Wales, Charlotte is #23 and Charlie all the way down at #774.

But in France, Charlie (#21) now actually more popular than Charlotte (#43).

― jaymc, Thursday, 19 June 2025 14:39 (one month ago)

(I'm guessing that Charlie is much less popular as a girls' name in the UK because it's a top 20 boys' name. It's not nearly as popular of a boys' name in the US and France.)

― jaymc, Thursday, 19 June 2025 14:45 (one month ago)

there's often a feeling (in the UK) that you name a child the "full" name even if you're going to call them a nickname from birth. my friend has a Frankie but I hadn't realised was actually Francesca on her birth certificate. So I'm not surprised if many are Charlotte with a nickname of Charlie (although my friend's Charlotte is Lottie).

otoh there is also a move towards the cutesy name being the registered name - eg Albie, Teddy. Maybe more for boys.

― kinder, Thursday, 19 June 2025 14:55 (one month ago)

Just remembered that Alex in NYC's firstborn is named Charlotte, and she must be about 20 now! Don't know what she goes by.

― jaymc, Thursday, 19 June 2025 15:04 (one month ago)

Interesting to see Charlie (#6) so close behind Charlotte (#4) on Quebec's list of girls' names.

I weirdly never even occurred to me that Charlie is a shortened version of Charlotte. People don't tend to do shortened nicknames here for the most part as far as I can tell, if they want their daughter to be called Charlie, they will just name her Charlie.

― silverfish, Thursday, 19 June 2025 15:19 (one month ago)

Many Charlottes are Lottie.

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Thursday, 19 June 2025 15:41 (one month ago)

Lotta Lotties.

― Blake the Messenger (Tom D.), Thursday, 19 June 2025 15:44 (one month ago)

Not a lotta Lottas though. I guess the comic book character Little Lotta basically finished that name off.

― Josefa, Thursday, 19 June 2025 21:29 (one month ago)

My great aunt's name was Liselotte but her nickname was Lilo.

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Thursday, 19 June 2025 21:38 (one month ago)

Lieselotte, opps

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Thursday, 19 June 2025 21:39 (one month ago)

How were her floatation skills?

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Thursday, 19 June 2025 21:39 (one month ago)

I had to Google that. I didn't know that's what they call pool floats here. I don't think I've ever been in a pool in the UK. When Logan started being called Lilo it did feel weird since it made me think of my giant German chain-smoking aunt. I do like the name though. Apparently it's derived from Elizabeth and Charlotte.

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Thursday, 19 June 2025 21:50 (one month ago)

Lohan not gan.

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Thursday, 19 June 2025 21:50 (one month ago)

(I'm guessing that Charlie is much less popular as a girls' name in the UK because it's a top 20 boys' name. It's not nearly as popular of a boys' name in the US and France.)

― jaymc, Thursday, June 19, 2025 9:45 AM (seven hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

interesting because the world’s most famous female charli is from the uk

― gestures broadly at...everything (voodoo chili), Thursday, 19 June 2025 22:25 (one month ago)

yeah but her name is charlotte

― budo jeru, Thursday, 19 June 2025 22:31 (one month ago)

There are loads of Charlies and a few of them coincidentally have music industry dads who spent two decades putting guess what up their noses.

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Thursday, 19 June 2025 22:43 (one month ago)

XCX is short for Excelxior

xpost also probably true

― LocalGarda, Thursday, 19 June 2025 22:44 (one month ago)

one month passes...

My Charlotte goes by ... Charlotte. Also answers to "Char." Some friends of hers from high school (she's a rising college senior, now) still refer to her as "C-Money."

― Alex in NYC, Monday, 28 July 2025 14:13 (six days ago)

:D

― jaymc, Monday, 28 July 2025 21:41 (six days ago)

Thought my Theodore would have a good choice of Theo, Ted, maybe even Teddy? But no. His friends at school apparently call him "Tibby" - which is a name for a cat afaic.

― Proust Ian Rush (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 28 July 2025 21:49 (six days ago)

ONS latest dataset has been released for England & Wales 2024.
Girls
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/babynamesenglandandwalesbabynamesstatisticsgirls

Boys
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/babynamesenglandandwalesbabynamesstatisticsboys

Rank Name Count Change in Rank Since 2023 Change in Rank Since 2014
1 Olivia 2,761 0 1
2 Amelia 2,448 0 -1
3 Lily 2,185 1 6
4 Isla 2,056 -1 -1
5 Ivy 1,956 2 49
6 Florence 1,936 2 20
7 Freya 1,929 -2 14
8 Poppy 1,888 3 -3
9 Ava 1,774 -3 -3
10 Elsie 1,727 4 22
11 Isabella 1,708 -1 -4
12 Sofia 1,626 7 16
13 Sophia 1,610 -1 -1
14 Mia 1,609 2 -1
15 Maya 1,592 14 30
16 Bonnie 1,583 10 127*
17 Phoebe 1,549 3 5
18 Daisy 1,548 -1 6
19 Sienna 1,537 -4 1
20 Evelyn 1,512 -7 11

Rank Name Count Change in Rank Since 2023 Change in Rank Since 2014
1 Muhammad 5,721 0 13
2 Noah 4,139 0 9
3 Oliver 3,492 0 -2
4 Arthur 3,368 2 37
5 Leo 3,324 0 11
6 George 3,257 -2 1
7 Luca 2,814 0 51
8 Theodore 2,761 0 51
9 Oscar 2,747 0 -1
10 Archie 2,575 3 7
11 Jude 2,540 4 54
12 Theo 2,387 -1 25
13 Freddie 2,369 -1 7
14 Henry 2,360 -4 1
15 Arlo 2,220 -1 126*
16 Alfie 2,020 0 -4
17 Charlie 1,956 0 -12
18 Finley 1,886 2 18
19 Albie 1,820 3 98*
20 Harry 1,765 1 -17

Pretty much all the boys' names are at our schools except Alfie, Luca and Muhammed (afaik) - including about 8000 Arlos - but I've not met a single little Olivia, Amelia, Florence or Bonnie.

My youngest only had about 35 others with the same name in the year he was born - now there are over 115. My eldest - there were over 3000 with his name when born, now fewer than 950.

― kinder, Friday, 1 August 2025 21:19 (two days ago)

'all the boys' names' meaning this top 20 which I've arbitrarily posted here.

― kinder, Friday, 1 August 2025 21:19 (two days ago)

Just browsing the lower reaches of the list with all the non-traditional spellings and Legends, Excels etc

― kinder, Friday, 1 August 2025 21:23 (two days ago)

have not met a baby Freya yet

― Andy the Grasshopper, Friday, 1 August 2025 21:35 (two days ago)

It feels 90s to me - my friend has a 9yo Freya but that's the only one I know.

― kinder, Friday, 1 August 2025 21:39 (two days ago)

Sofia leapfrogging Sophia is interesting.

Freya is a name that is way more popular in the UK than the US. The US is 5x more populous than the UK overall, but there were more individual Freyas born in the UK last year (1,929 vs. 1,877). (It ranked #149 in the US.)

― jaymc, Saturday, 2 August 2025 02:33 (yesterday)

Other names where the total number of UK children born with that name in 2024 exceeds the number of US children:

Florence
Poppy
Bonnie

Muhammad
Arthur
George
Oscar
Archie
Jude
Alfie
Freddie
Finley
Albie
Harry

― jaymc, Saturday, 2 August 2025 02:44 (yesterday)

Alfie, Freddie, and Albie aren't even in the top 1,000 in the U.S. There were fewer than 100 boys born with each of those names in 2024.

― jaymc, Saturday, 2 August 2025 02:46 (yesterday)

i would’ve assumed all three of those names were nicknames

― budo jeru, Saturday, 2 August 2025 13:46 (yesterday)

Short for Alfresco, Geoffred, and Albumen, respectively

― Josefa, Saturday, 2 August 2025 14:02 (yesterday)


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